Will Local Anesthesia to Remove a Mole On My Chest Puncture my Breast Implant?

Your safest option is to have a board certified plastic surgeon do the mole excision or better yet, if available, the surgeon who placed your implants could do the biopsy.  Either is skilled in knowing the correct depth to place the needle and how to avoid any problems.  So I believe your risk should be very low.  Incision in this area are known to be prone to hypertrophic scarring, so have your surgeon follow you closely afterward.

Without knowing your exact details and what kind of biopsy is planned, shave versus excision, why not have a plastic surgeon remove your mole?  Then you will have someone familiar with breast implants and your anatomy. This should ensure the local anesthesia would be placed into the appropriate plane.  Beware of a bad, ugly scar in this area, however.  All the best, "Dr. Joe" Gryskiewicz

The only way that the implant can me ruptured is if the doctor sticks the needle too deep. This would certainly be a result of negligence and really should not happen...but crazier things have happened I guess.

The chances of puncturing a breast implant while taking off a mole with local is very small.  There typically is enough soft tissue covering the implant that a careful surgeon could easily stay away from the implant..  Do make whoever does the procedure aware that you do have implants so they will know they need to be careful.

You may want to check with the surgeon who put your implants in to see if they would remove your mole for you.

Good Luck,

Dr T

It is wise to be concerned but your risk of damage to the implant should be minimal.  I would absolutely have a board certified plastic surgeon perform the excision, if your original surgeon is not available, as this would ensure a full understanding of the anatomy and placement of the implant with respect to the location of the mole.  However, the mole excision really is a superficial procedure and careful injection of local anesthetic should never compromise an implant placed in a much deeper plane either beneath the breast itself (sub glandular) or beneath the muscle.

It would be unusual for your implant to be damaged from a mole removal procedure.  Typically, the medicine used to numb the skin prior to a biopsy is injected just below the skin surface. It would be a good idea to let your doctor know that you have implants.

It is unlikely that a breast implant could be punctured during a mole removal.  If the mole has changed, then it needs to be removed and examined by a pathologist.  There is a fair distance between the skin with the mole and the breast implant.  The local anesthetic needs to be placed just under the skin in order to avoid the breast implant. 

Thank you for the question.

The chances of rupturing your breast implant is extremely small  if you are in the hands of a appropriately trained physician. However, the chances of you developing a unsatisfactory scar in the area that you have described is quite high;  make sure excision is really necessary/indicated.

Best wishes.

Injection of local anesthesia to numb the breast area for removal of a skin lesion will not be in the area of the implant cavity and will not result in implant rupture. If it very important, however that you tell the dermatologist or other surgeon who is injecting the anesthesia about the presence of the implant. If the lesion isn't superficial and is being biopsied to rule out breast cancer, care can be taken and if you are really concerned, you can have your plastic surgeon perform the biopsy.

It is unlikley that a skin lesion removed carefully or inejcted with local carefully will have any impact on your implant.  Probably best to have your plastic surgeon do the procedure.