A high percentage of women who have breast augmentation with implants will at some point require breast implant revision surgery. This can be for a wide variety of reasons, but the main reason is that breast implants do not last forever. A woman who had breast augmentation in her 20s will likely need those implants replaced or removed during her lifetime. Dr. John Anastasatos at Los Angeles Plastic Surgery specializes in breast implant revision surgery at our clinic in Beverly Hills.

Breast revision surgery is one of Dr. Anastasatos’ primary areas of focus. Breast revision is a very common procedure for many reasons. The most common reasons for breast revision surgery are:

• Change breast implants from saline to silicone
• Get bigger breast implants
• Treat capsular contracture
• Remove deflated or ruptured implants and replace them
• Correct a hard breast capsule
• Change implants profile
• Correct breast asymmetry
• Remove old style silicone breast implants and calcifications
• Unhappy patient results – desire for softer or different shaped breast implants
• Desire to remove the breast implants and get a breast lift

There can be other reasons for breast revision surgery, but the reasons listed above are by far the more common ones seen by Dr. Anastasatos.

Performing Implant Revision Surgery

Many patients think that breast revision is simple, and the plastic surgeon removes the old implant and places a new implant. Breast revision surgery entails more extensive technical work than the original breast augmentation surgery. It is not only the breast implants that are exchanged or revised with breast revision surgery. The capsule or breast pocket that the breast implant sits in needs revision. Also, the breast tissue and the breast muscles may require revision to achieve the desired results.

Revision of the breast capsule or breast pocket is most often where most of the work of breast revision surgery must occur. The capsule must be cut in order for it to expand if larger breast implants are desired. In some cases of breast revision, the breast capsule must be sewn together to create a new shape to the breast. There are some breast revision surgeries that require the breast capsule from the prior breast surgery to be removed. In other cases of breast revision, a combination of the above breast capsule procedures is performed.

It is crucial to have an experienced plastic surgeon for any breast implant revision surgery. Dr. Anastasatos is a top breast plastic surgeon who offers surgical implant revisions and corrections. Contact us at our clinic in Beverly Hills to schedule a consultation.