All breast implants have the potential of breaking. The older your breast implant is, the more likely it is to break. So, what is the next step if you have a ruptured breast implant? The first thing to do if you think your implant has ruptured is visit your doctor. The recommended course of treatment will depend on the type of implant you have (silicone or saline) and the circumstances surrounding the rupture.

When saline breast implants break, they typically leak very quickly. When this happens, you can usually see noticeable changes in the size and shape of your breast immediately. When the saline leaks, the body absorbs it. For this reason, it is usually harmless.

The exception would be in the case where there is fungus or bacteria inside the implant. This can cause a serious infection. If this happens, your physician will most likely prescribe antibiotics to help your body fight off the infection.

When silicone breast implants rupture, the contents usually leak very slowly. For this reason, a ruptured silicone breast implant may not be noticeable for many years. In the best case scenario of a ruptured silicone breast implant, the leaking silicone stays inside a thick layer of scar tissue that naturally grows around the implant, and the silicone stays where it is. In the worst-case scenario of a ruptured breast implant, silicone can migrate to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes under the arm and the major organs. The longer a woman waits to have a ruptured silicone gel implant removed, the more time the silicone has to leak inside her body. This is why it is so important to notify your physician as soon as possible if you suspect that you may have a ruptured silicone breast implant.

Removing ruptured breast implants requires a more complicated type of surgery than the procedure used to place the implants in the first place. For this reason, it is vitally important to choose the right plastic surgeon to perform this type of procedure. The surgeon you choose should be board-certified, highly experienced and willing to show you before and after pictures of patients who have undergone this type of procedure.

If you think that your breast implant may have ruptured, schedule an appointment with your doctor today to obtain an official diagnosis. Once accurately diagnosed, you can begin your search for a plastic and restorative surgeon you can trust provide reconstructive surgery on your breast.

Posted on behalf of Dr. Mark Mitchell Jones, Atlanta Plastic Surgery Specialists, P.C.

Circle Us on Google+