After Breast Enlargement
Breast enlargement surgery, breast implants August 5th, 2010
Having breast enlargement is something that many women choose to do, and thanks to the drop in breast enlargement prices, it is a procedure that is now much more affordable. One side of breast augmentation surgery that many women either don’t think to look into, or would rather not look into is the potential complications that can occur after surgery. The risks of the procedure itself are clearly outlined before hand, with your surgeon ensuring that you fully understand what the process entails and what your end result is going to be.
Understanding the potential complications that can arise from breast implants is important, as you may well be able to spot the beginnings of a complication early and therefore reduce it’s severity. While some complications arise fairly shortly following surgery, others can occur as long as 10 years later. Here we will detail just some of the more common complications that can occur, just to provide a brief overview.
Infection is one of the biggest post-surgery risks, and in the first few days following surgery it is important to ensure you keep both yourself and your wounds healthy but resting, eating well and of course following your surgeons instructions carefully. Infection can appear within a few days or weeks following surgery, and while infection around a breast implant can be harder to treat than other types of infection, a course of antibiotics will usually clear it up.
Hematoma’s are another complication that will usually occur soon after surgery, although they can also occur following any kind of injury to the breast tissue and surrounding area. Hematoma’s are a pooling of blood in a body cavity, which in this case would be the area around the breast implant. Small hematoma’s will be absorbed by the body and will heal quickly and without medical intervention being needed. Larger hematoma’s will require surgical drains to help remove the blood and allow the area to heal properly. This method is generally very effective, and will only leave a very small scar, if any, in the site the drain was inserted.
Seroma’s are very similar to hematoma’s, however they consist purely of Serous Fluid, which again can pool in a body cavity, such as around a breast implant. As with hematoma’s, the fluid that pools will be re-absorbed by the body if it is a small amount, otherwise surgical drains can be used to drain the fluid away. It is important to get the correct treatment for both hematoma’s and seroma’s as they can lead to infection if left untreated for too long when surgical drains are required.
Capsular Contraction is where the scar tissue that forms around the breast implant tightens and hardens and starts to put pressure on the implant itself. It is normal for a capsule of scar tissue to form around breast implants, as this is the bodies way of sealing off what it sees as a foreign object. Capsular contraction tends to be more common following infection or a hematoma or seroma, although it can occur for apparently no reason. It ranges in severity from slight firmness of the breast with some discomfort to hardness and even distorted appearance of the breast accompanied by moderate to severe pain. In severe cases it will either be necessary to remove the tissue capsule, or remove and replace the implant.
While many women have breast enlargement surgery with no complications whatsoever, it doesn’t mean that it is an entirely risk-free procedure, so being aware of the potential complications allows you to be fully informed in your decision.
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