Possible risks and complications of breast augmentation surgeries  

The implant may tear and leak, which forms small lumps in your breast known as silicone granulomas. The saline-filled implants may become severely deflated after rupturing, making a revision surgery necessary. Another point to note is that silicone gel-filled implants may rupture silently with no symptoms. As such, there is a need for regular follow-up check ups to ensure the health of your breasts.

When there are visible ripples on the surface of a breast implant, it means that the tissue overlying the implant has stuck to the implant. This is common if you opted for saline implants or textured implants. It may also be due to your thin breast skin or the lack of sufficient breast tissues. In this scenario, a revision surgery will be required. Fat grafting or switching to an alternative implant are just some options to consider to fix the implant ripple.

It is crucial to note that women with breast implants may have a very low, but increased likelihood of being diagnosed with ALCL. ALCL is an immune system cell cancer that is typically found several years after the surgery. It can be detected from a new swelling of one of the breasts. Do note that a mammogram, which is an X-ray that detects breast cancer, may be less accurate for women with breast implants. In this case, additional scans may be needed.

One of the most common complication, capsular contracture is a form of immune system response to foreign materials in the human body. Since breast implants are considered a foreign object, capsular contracture may happen. As scary as the name sounds, the process can be easily broken down into understandable segments. For one, the capsule is a pocket of scar tissues that form around breast implants. However, the scar tissue will constrict the capsule, which results in the capsule becoming hard and be distorted.

This not only lead to the breast looking visually distorted, it can also lead to pain and discomfort. Capsular contracture can recur even if it is removed completely. Clinically significant capsular contracture can be addressed by extracting the implant and performing a complete capsulectomy by replacing breast implants or using a new breast implants.

Due to the invasive surgery, there may be temporary pain, swelling and bruising after the surgery. You may also feel that your chest area is very tight for a few weeks. Remember to seek help from your surgeon if the pain gets worrying. It may be a sign of infection, which will cause the skin and tissue surrounding your beast to die.

Different individuals have a different scar recovery period. For some, the scarring may end up being thick, and it may refuse to fade away even with treatment. This is something to consider if you are choosing your breast implant and incision type based on the primary preference of hiding scars.

Post-surgery nerve damage can affect the level of sensitivity in your nipples and breast. There is also a chance that you may lose the ability to feel anything temporarily, or permanently, for a small section of your breast, or for the entire breast.

There is a possibility that you may produce less milk, or be completely unable to breast-feed after the surgery. Parenthood planning is most definitely an important consideration before deciding whether or not to go for breast augmentation.