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Capsular contracture. Mine just popped!

UPDATED FROM Mama monkey
1 year post

So today I have been stressing about my left...

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So today I have been stressing about my left breast because I just recently noticed how it was becoming much harder than my other one. I noticed this because the other day my husband and I were messing around and he had my on his back with my chest pressed again his back. He lifted me off my feet with my chest pressing on his back. I heard a pop! I freaked out and said you broke my implant. I started to really check myself. I then noticed on side was softer than the other. After doing my research I realized that my soft side was normal not a broke implant and my harder side was turning into capsule contracture. I started looking at old pictures of myself and noticed a big change in my breasts. They were beginning to look harder and more up high, more my left side than my right. In the beginning my breasts looked so natural when I got them done. You couldn't even tell I hard surgery. They still had he natural drop to them that I wanted. I didn't want fake looking breasts I just wanted them to be filled back out due to breastfeeding. So in doing research I read you can do some massaging or surgery. I read up a lot on the capsular contracture to really see what it was and what it looked like. I saw a surgeon take one and had to cut it with a knife to pull out an implant from inside it. So I learned that they were extremely hard to break once formed. I started thinking maybe I could fix it myself. I really didn't want surgery and wasn't going to get it again. So I read up on some other women like me that had the same problems and what they did to fix them. One of them said how they had a grade IV capsular contracture so they started to roll on them everyday with a foam roller. From the top of the chest to the bottom everyday. After a few months when she went to her Dr. he said she was now at a Grade II. So I knew there was hope if I worked on them. I knew that my capsular contracture was newer. It just started to happen over that last few months. So I sat down on my couch after reading about the foam roller. I put my chest to my couches arm because it was round and soft. When I laid on my chest one breast was much softer than the other and the other was hard. So I sat up and felt my right breast. I squeezed it very hard and it was easy to. I then grabbed my left breast and did the same and I could not fully squeeze it like my other one. It felt like a hard water balloon. So I took both of my hands and put them into fists determined to break the capsular contracture. I started to push my fists together with the hard water balloon feeling implant/capsular contracture. I pushed and squeezed as hard was I could not stopping until I heard a pop. Like a water balloon popping. I was stunned! I couldn't believe I did it. Something so many women had surgery for I fixed myself. I then realized when I heard a pop in my right breast from my chest being on my husbands back that I must of had a low grade of capsular contracture in that one too. That's what the pop was. So thank god to my husband for horse playing with me when he did. Otherwise I would never of know what was happening to my breasts and they could of got to the point of needing surgery. Everything does happen for a reason. Thank you god! Once I heard my left breast pop it felt so much better. It is actually almost just as soft as the right one. Almost identical now. I am assuming that the capsular contractor is still around my implant and I just broke it so I am going to keep up my massaging and really moving my implants all around to keep the hardness from forming again. I hope this can help other women out there. Catching it early is the key. I think that's why I was able to break mine. So if your implant is hard put it between your fists and squeeze the crap out of it till you hear the pop. Don't get nervous. It's just the capsular contracture bursting.

Mama monkey's provider

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired)

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired)

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

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Replies (3)

oh wow thank you so much for this info..i had no idea what this was and it could even happen with implants..Did you get the cohesive gel ones? I am consider this doc for my surgery but i'm so scared of things going wrong :( this is so helpful tough thank you for sharing ;)
I have silicone implants. When ever you are having surgery or putting something in your body that's not suppose to be there things can go wrong. My body is actually doing what it is suppose to. When something is in there that shouldn't be your body forms a capsule around it to protect your body. Everyone with implants gets this, but at different levels. You want to keep yours at a stage 1. That's why when you see a lot of girls with implants they look fake or hard. Your doctor can tell you how to help keep this from happening.
I have silicone implants. When ever you are having surgery or putting something in your body that's not suppose to be there things can go wrong. My body is actually doing what it is suppose to. When something is in there that shouldn't be your body forms a capsule around it to protect your body. Everyone with implants gets this, but at different levels. You want to keep yours at a stage 1. That's why when you see a lot of girls with implants they look fake or hard. Your doctor can tell you how to help keep this from happening.
Thank you for sharing your story! I had to go to my doc and he popped mine with his bare hands. I never knew I had the early stages of it he detected it right away at 3 months post op!
Usually this is a temporary fix and can I'm fact pop your implant. And it can void your warranty of your implants. Just wanted to let you guys know. I am curious though if it came back or not. This post was I'm 2013...
Sorry, typos.
Curious too. I'm 2 months post op from a revision but I have CC in my right breast. I have warranty for CC so I'm getting it fix next month. Never heard of anyone popping their CC
I, too, am curious about whether it came back or not. I have CC on righty. I tried 10 sessions of ultrasound massage, but it would only temporarily soften the tissue. Now I am considering surgery, but would like to exhaust all at-home remedies prior to blowing that kinda cash.
UPDATED FROM Mama monkey
1 year post

So it's been over a year now and I seem to have...

So it's been over a year now and I seem to have capsular contracture in my left breast. Very disappointing! This is the thing with implants they are expensive and you never know when something is going to happen to them and you need another surgery and another and another. They can definitely cost you a lot in a life time. At this point I would of been better leaving them the way they were or just getting a lift. This is what happens when you put something foreign in your body that is not suppose to be there.

Replies (2)

So it's been over a year now and I seem to have capsular contracture in my left breast. Very disappointing! This is the thing with implants they are expensive and you never know when something is going to happen to them and you need another surgery and another and another. They can definitely cost you a lot in a life time. At this point I would of been better leaving them the way they were or just getting a lift. This is what happens when you put something foreign in your body that is not suppose to be there.

Drats!! I'm sorry about your CC. Any idea what you're going to do? I don't know if you're at this point, but we have a fabulously supportive implant removal community here.

I will see my doctor on Monday and let you know what he tells me.
I'm sorry about your implants. I've read that over the muscle implants have a much higher rate or CC.
Luckily if you read my last post you will see how I actually just popped my capsular contracture! Now I just need to keep up with them and see what my doctor says on Monday.
So happy you popped your CC, what did your PS say? Did you get saline or silicone?
He said that I did good, but that he is the doctor and I should be letting him treat me. I am now taking motrin for a week 3 times a day and will be seeing him in 6 weeks for a follow up. I have silicone.
Best to you, and keep me posted how things go!!
Thank you! I will. So far so good.
UPDATED FROM Mama monkey
2 months post

I absolutely hated the way I looked. I had for...

I absolutely hated the way I looked. I had for almost 5 years. I gained 50lbs when I got pregnant and lost all of it plus 10 lbs after without even trying. Then I was left with this horrifying body. I never thought I would look like this after I had my child. He was 9lbs 11.9oz when he was born and that was taking him out 6 days early. I had a very athletic build before. My ps worked hard on my belly. He really wanted to make sure he got all of the excess skin he could get and the skin that had the stretch marks. He even pieced back together my tattoo on my right hip that I knew was going to be cut in half. So it actually looks pretty good and I don't even have to worry about getting it fixed right away if ever.

Replies (1)

Hey Mama monkey! You look great!! I go the 29th for TT and BA...not far from you! Your tummy looks so nice and flat! You must be so psyched! I am so excited, just keep looking at pictures. I am so afraid of it not coming out like I want it to!! I am sure it will be fine! Thanks for sharing your pics!