Breast Augmentation: Stories

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Bruising/bleeding of Encapsulated Breasts After Augmantation Surgery (Silicone, Under-muscle)

Clementine1968
posted 3 years ago
updated 3 years ago

Not Worth It
Cost: $6,000
Dorchester Private Hospital. Dorset, England (England)

I had a breast augmentation 8 years ago...

20 Nov 2009

I had a breast augmentation 8 years ago (silicone-under the muscles)and for last 3 years they have become harder and harder, to the point I find it hard to sleep as they are painful when I even lie on my side. I also have,what looks like,bruising under both breasts which is dark red in colour; like an old bleed. My GP advised I go back to the cosmetic surgeon for advice but sadly I cannot afford to do this.

I had an augmentation to boost self esteem and to feel more feminine. Initially it did give me confidence and I felt sexy fo the first time in my life! But, I regret having put my body through this as I now have encapsulated breasts and feel a bit of a freak.

My question is: Can anything realistically be done to improve the situation without removing them altogether? I had no breast tissue, or very little, before the op so am reluctant to be totally flat chested. Many thanks.

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Comments (4)

Samir Shureih, MD 8 Dec 2009

The treatment for capsular cotracture is surgery, almost the same expense as before if not more because you need capsulectomy. i tell my patient they WILL have surgery in the future once you have implants. The bruising you have concerns me You need to see your BOARD CERTIFIED PS. You must discuss all your options and pros and cons, future surgeries, Capsular contracture and other risks.

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nene27 30 Nov 2009

i also had a bad experince w implants. under the muscle with tubes that were injected every other day. no topical numbing an the dr couldnt ever hit the right spot so each visit was getting stuck under my breasts 3 or 4 times each. the ports were supposed to be out in 2 weeks but they were left from oct 17th until feb 27th. when i went in to get them out he had to giveme a total of 14 numbing shots and when the feeling came back before he could get them out (yes they were imbedded with muscle grew around them and they had to be cut out) i told him i could feel him sewing me up an it was painful and his words were lay still or i will give you some more of those painful shots and i wouldnt go back for my last visit because each one was pure torture from him.

espresso 10 Dec 2009

Wow Nene27, it sounds like your experiences were a mixed bag. On the one hand, it sounds like you got post-operatively adjustable implants, which can be a handy thing to have. They let you gradually increase over time, and even dialing back if you feel you overshot your optimal size. Some women leave the fill ports in for much longer than what you had, simply because they're undecided about what their ideal final size is. Meaning, they get used to the larger size and figure that they would enjoy going bigger, etc. It's surprising that your surgeon kept missing the fill ports, though.

The bad side of this is it sounds like your surgeon was lacking good bedside manner. It's possible he was trying to lighten the mood with his comment about giving you more painful shots, but clearly that's not how you took them. And given the stress of the procedure, you shouldn't be expected to. Seems like it was bad timing on his part, but he really should have done better to minimize your discomfort, both physically and emotionally.

espresso 29 Nov 2009

It sounds like you're experiencing capsular contracture, but I've got the sense that you already had an informed idea to that effect. From what you've described, the process is continuing to get worse with time. You definitely need to address this sooner rather than later. I believe that your best option will be surgical. This doesn't necessarily mean (permanent) removal of your implants. But it will mean either a capsulectomy or a capsulotomy; as to which is better is a decision best left for the surgeon. He will definitely want a satisfied patient, and will choose the process best suited to your situation and his experience. That said, you did mention that your original surgery was 8 years ago, which is getting pretty close to the expected time needed to replace the implants anyway. You'll need to confirm with the surgeon whether you'll be able to keep your current implants, or whether you'll need to replace them. I believe there's a non-surgical approach to resolving this, but from what I've read, it's not usually considered. It involves the surgeon squeezing the breast sufficiently firmly to cause the capsule to rupture. (The risk of damage to the implant is minimal, although you did mention the implants are 8 years old.) This can be quite uncomfortable for the patient, which is why the surgical approach is the preferred method. That, and with a surgery, the surgeon can take a close look to make sure everything inside the implant pocket is in order before reinserting the implants (if he chooses to remove them to remove the capsules), possibly adding a few sutures to improve on the pockets. These details should be discussed with your surgeon as to whether the extra work (such as it is) is a real possibility, something which will be a "game day" decision while you are under anaesthetic. There is a whole post-op protocol you should discuss with the surgeon as well, in order to minimize the recurrence of the capsular contracture. I realize you indicated that the surgery isn't currently an option financially, but it sounds like you need to make this a priority in your life. Do get a few (more than one) pre-op consults, to get a sense as to whether there is only One Option available to you, or whether you have an option or two.