Cold breast implants? Is this a normal experience?

Question

Hi, I had a breast augmentation with silicone implants 3 years ago. All went well, I still have some numbness that probably won't ever resolve but I'm finding it weird that my breasts feel constantly colder than the rest of my body. My surgeon didn't give a lot of importance to it so I wanted to ask if this is a normal experience. If I hold them the skin warms up, there's no change in color, just temperature.

Miguel Mota, MD · Answer

Completely normal. Implants will always be colder. Whether patients can feel the difference with your hand is a different issue. This will depend on several factors including the amount of breast tissue over the implants. This is not an issue so there is no need to worry.

Dr. Miguel Mota

Dr. Miguel Mota

Ted Eisenberg, DO, FACOS, FAACS · Answer

Always best to check with your surgeon and have routine breast care by your GYN or family doctor. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

Leila Kasrai, MD, FRCSC · Answer

The implants are warmed up by your body since they don’t have their own heat source, so the fact that they warm up at a slower rate than your body is normal.

Brian K. Reedy, MD · Answer

Hello, thank you for your question.  I have not had any of my patients mention this to me in the 25 years of practice. I would suggest if you were not having any problems, and everything is ok then I would not worry.  It is not uncommon for the implant to be a different temperature than your body as this is a device implanted into your body. Also, if you don't have much of your own breast tissue to cover the implant now then there is not much tissue to keep the warmth. As for the numbness this far after surgery it more than likely won't come back at this point.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

In cold weather, gel implants may not completely warm up to body temperatures. The saline implants do warm. Some of the sense of coldness may actually be some nerve damage to your temperature nerves.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

This difference in temperature can be from the silicone not regulating like the rest of the surrounding tissue.  It's not something that patients generally experience, but it is not worrisome.

Danielle Atwood, MD, PhD · Answer

Hello,
This is a common complaint I have heard, especially in my breast reconstruction patients with silicone implants who have less breast tissue than a patient with an augmentation. The implant, whether silicone or saline, is not the same material as your body's tissue, can easily be affected by the environmental temperature. It is not protected like an internal organ so can remain cooler than the rest of your body, particularly if the implants are above your pec muscle and you have a small amount of breast tissue. I have heard this, especially after getting out of a cold pool, lake, or ocean. Patients report the implants stay cooler than the rest of the body which makes sense. 
This is nothing to worry about unless your breasts are becoming bluish/mottled with slow time to return to pink color and warm up which doesn't sound like the case now. If that does become an issue, see your surgeon to make sure the blood supply of the breast skin is not threatened due to too large an implant size.

Mihail Climov, MD · Answer

This is an interesting symptom. I did not encounter this complaint. However, using clinical thinking, the "cold" sensation might be due to decreased perfusion. I would be curious how large are the implants that were placed and what is your frame: your band and previous and current cup sizes. The overly large implants could technically decrease the perfusion due to tension; in time, this could lead to thinning of the breast and skin. Also, if the tissue envelope is thin, it may not get adequately perfused to feel as warm as the rest of the body, as sometimes, the tip of the nose feels colder. Also, weight loss could thin the envelope as well. A photo would be helpful.

Cold breast implants? Is this a normal experience?

Answers (8)

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