INITIAL RECOVERY TIME: 7 DAYS
FINAL RESULTS: 6 MONTHS
Sometimes, what we want for ourselves changes. Maybe you were once happy with your breast implants, but they no longer fit into your life. Or, perhaps your first breast augmentation didn’t achieve quite the results you were hoping for. It’s also common for patients to desire another change in breast size and want larger or smaller breast implants.
If any of the above describe how you feel, a breast implant revision can help you make your desired changes and get a look you love, whatever that means to you. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Chen is highly experienced in breast implant removal and replacement surgery, and he has helped many women in Richmond achieve a new breast appearance that matches their current needs.
Dr. Chen is experienced in breast revision techniques to address any of the above issues, and more. He can discuss your unique needs and goals during a personal consultation at our Richmond plastic surgery practice.
Undergoing a breast implant removal or replacement is a big step. Having another procedure requires you to devote more time and resources to surgery and recovery. Dr. Chen understands this and employs techniques that are designed to optimally address the issues that led you to a secondary surgery and achieve a beautiful, natural result while minimizing incision size and recovery time.
After breast augmentation, a layer of scar tissue called a “capsule” forms around the implant. This is a normal response, but this capsule contains tissue that really shouldn’t stay behind when the breast implant is removed. An “en bloc” breast implant removal removes the old breast implants and the surrounding capsule all in one piece, without disturbing the capsule tissue. There are several advantages to this approach:
If you don’t have enough surrounding breast tissue left to achieve an optimal result with en bloc implant removal alone, Dr. Chen will meticulously remove any remaining capsule tissue after removing the implant.
Changing your look to meet your current needs shouldn’t have to mean more scars. Whenever possible, Dr. Chen will remove your current breast implants, make any necessary adjustments to the breast pocket or surrounding tissue, and insert new implants (if desired) using the same incision sites made during your initial breast augmentation. This allows you to improve your look without creating additional scars on your breasts.
In some cases, Dr. Chen may have to slightly lengthen the original scar to safely remove the implant and achieve a great result. If you are getting a breast lift during revision, he may need to make additional incisions to remove excess, stretched skin and raise the nipple/areola. Dr. Chen will discuss what incisions are necessary with you before you schedule surgery, so you’ll know just what to expect.
For most patients, recovery after a breast implant exchange closely resembles that of the original surgery. Unless you are making a significant size increase, you may even find recovery shorter and easier the second time around, as your breast tissue and skin will not have to stretch much to adjust to the new implants.
If you are having significant revision of breast tissue or muscles (i.e., Dr. Chen has to repair the implant pocket to improve breast symmetry, or you are receiving a breast lift too), you can expect a little more post-op swelling and discomfort, similar to that of your first breast augmentation. Typically, patients return to desk work within 1 to 2 weeks and resume full activity within 4 to 6 weeks.