For most women considering breast augmentation surgery, the thought of having to redo the surgery is probably the last thing on their minds. The reasons for breast augmentation revision are numerous, but the most common include capsular contracture, switching from saline to silicone implants (implant exchange), weight- or age-related changes, and cosmetic concerns.
While the majority of plastic surgery patients are pleased with their breast augmentation results, there are always one or two individuals whose results did not turn out as they expected. Heidi Montag, former reality television star, has brought this issue to the forefront of American gossip magazines as she recently talked about regretting her multiple plastic surgery procedures including liposuction, breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, chin reduction, brow lift, and buttock augmentation.
Dr. David Whiteman does his best to prevent these incidences through education and by discussing patient desires, needs, and expectations before surgery during a thorough consultation and determining which procedure would best benefit that person’s individual situation.
Women who have recently had children or experienced a drastic weight change are the most common candidates for breast revision surgery. However, breast implants do not have a lifetime warranty, so women with older breast implants will also sometimes elect to undergo breast revision to replace them with newer models. In fact, Dr. Whiteman’s celebrity patient NeNe Leakes from The Real Housewives of Atlanta came to Southern Plastic Surgery for a breast revision surgery after a previous breast augmentation left her unhappy with her breast size.
While there are no direct statistics for how many women receive breast revision surgery each year, research from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons indicates that over 20,000 women had breast implants removed in 2010 and almost 300,000 women had breast augmentation surgery.
Fortunately, for patients who do regret a breast augmentation, are unhappy with a former surgery from another practitioner, or just need or want a new implant, Southern Plastic Surgery offers breast revision surgery and breast implant removal. During this procedure, Dr. Whiteman can correct or revise the previously augmented breasts to another size of breast implant, a breast implant the same size as the previous one, or remove the implants completely depending on the patient’s preference.
During breast revision surgery, the breast is reopened via previously used incisions to reduce scarring, and the old breast implant is removed. If the patient wants to increase or decrease the size of the breast implant or exchange it for a different material (saline or silicone), the new breast implant will be inserted at this time. Patients who are having breast implants removed may have breast lift surgery to reposition the breast to an aesthetically pleasing, natural location. Just as the case with mommy makeover surgery in which the combination of plastic surgery procedures performed is determined based on the patient’s specific cosmetic concerns, Dr. Whiteman can help you determine which breast surgery procedure(s) can help you attain your desired aesthetic while minimizing the risk for any additional revisionary breast surgery.
Montag’s public admission of her plastic surgery regrets reiterates the importance of preplanning and responsible plastic surgery in the decision-making process. In the event that changes are needed secondarily they can be accomplished but preplanning and the coordinated discussion prior to surgery is the most important.
Contact us for more information on breast revision surgery and our services or for a consultation. If you haven’t already, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for information on updates and specials.