How and when Does Capsular Contracture Happen?

I have breast implants and my right breast keeps getting Capsular Contracture. How and when does this happen?

Tags:

breasts capsular contracture

Comment on this

7 Doctor Answers | Asked by alasandra in oceanside ca

Doctor Answers (7)
Community Comments (0)

Capsular contracture: What is it? Prevention and treatment

That is the million dollar question that no one has the answer to. There are many theories for why this happens. It can occur almost immediately or happen many months later. It can affect one or both breasts. People have attibuted this to wound healing, infection, and/or minor bleeding. Probably the most widely held theory is related to any implant and popular thought attributes this to a biofilm that develops on the surface of any prosthesis. This is actively being studies as it relates to... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Uncertain when capsular contracture happens

Hi, Thank you for your question! During your surgery, a pocket was made in your breast for the implant. When breast implants are placed into the body, a lining or capsule of tissue forms around the implants as you heal. This is your body's natural response to a foreign object. Usually, the pocket will stay open and the capsule stays soft. However, our body will sometimes want to shrink the "scar" tissue, which is what occurs during capsular contracture. The capsule tightens... more

Breast Implants and Avoiding Capsular Contracture

When a woman experiences capsular contracture it is not the implants themselves that turn hard, of course; what has really happened is that the fibrous capsule around the implants has tightened and thickened, making the implants less mobile and causing them to feel firm (and eventually, in some cases, even 'hard'). The medical term for this phenomenon is 'capsular contracture'. It is a problem that is best managed by avoiding it altogether, and fortunately there are a number... more

Michael Law, MD

17 reviews

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

michaellawmd.com

Sooner or later but it's not understood

Why capsular contracture happens we don't really know. But we do know that there are things that can potentially cause it and things that decrease its incidence. Previously various medications such as antibiotics and other sterilizing agents were used to irrigate the pocket prior to implant placement. These have been found to cause irritation and capsular contracture. When the capsular contracture happens is another questions but typically it is a delayed phenomenon, perhaps years. ... more

Some risk factors can be prevented, others cnnot

Some folks will develop contracture despite our best efforts, and as long as your surgeon is replacing your implants with new implants, removing the entire capsule, putting on an antibiotic regimen and a massage plan after the procedure, and being meticulous with control of bleeding, everything that can be done is being done. There may come a point then that you will have to decide how bad the contracture bothers you and if you want the implant removed permanently.

Implants and you may not mix

Please read Dr. Placik's excellent review of capsular contracture etiology and treatment. When your body shows that capacity to make a capsular contracture, it can continue to do this on a repeated basis despite all measures to the contrary. Basically you need to make sure that your surgeon has removed all of the capsule and replaced a new implant in the pocket. If your implants were above the muscle, they should be moved below the muscle. Taking Vit E after surgery and a vigorous... more

Capsular contracture

That is a great question. No one knows for sure why it develops. There are a lot of different theories. One of the more popular ones relates to the notion of a subclinical infection leading to a gradual capsular contracture.