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  • Breast Augmentation Surgery: Likelihood of Complications
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Complications of breast augmentation. There are things that can occur early. For example, bleeding, having a hematoma or bleeding in around the implant itself that would require surgery typically within the first 48 hours. Infection is pretty unusual, I'd say less than 1% for patients, but something the patient needs to know about. We do have them take antibiotics to help prevent that.

Once in a while, asymmetry where one breast will look different than the other. Usually there's small differences even in women that don't have augmentations that we all kind of live with. Sometimes it's just the same sort of situation with implants. Occasionally there's enough asymmetry that we might wanna do additional surgery to correct that.

Once a while scars are a little worse looking than we would hope. Sometimes patients have a revision of the scar for that reason. Loss of nipple sensation typically is just 1%, maybe as much as 4% depending on the location of the incision.

Long-term, I would counsel patients about the possibility of capsular contracture which is forming very firm scar tissue around the breast implants typically about 5% over time over the next 20, 25 years and then rapture over time. Pretty much if someone has an implant long enough, they probably will need to be replaced. Something that patient need to know about that it may require down the line an additional operation.

Breast Augmentation Surgery: Likelihood of Complications

Dr. Susan Vasko addresses possible complications after a breast augmentation.