Revision Surgery For Problem Breast Implants

Education is Key for Long-Term Results

Getting breast implants in New Jersey is a process that begins with patient education. Many surgeons skip this part of the process and make decisions concerning the size, fill, and location of the breast implants without educating the patient as to the long-term consequences of their decisions. In Dr. Caroline Glicksman’s Sea Girt plastic surgery office, education is the first and most important step for all breast augmentation patients. It should also be the cornerstone of your revision breast augmentation.

The most frequent breast implant problems are caused by improper implant selection, as well as old-fashioned surgical techniques. Oversized breast implants can produce local problems, including stretch deformities, wrinkling, asymmetries, and even pain. Problems associated with the planning and execution of the surgical procedure may lead to malposition problems and implants that are visible and palpable.

All surgical procedures should be considered carefully, and a breast implant revision procedure, no matter how simple, is still surgery. As a breast augmentation surgeon, Dr. Glicksman wants to help her patients make better decisions to help reduce further complications. Revision surgery for breast implants should only be performed when the long-term benefits and risks associated with revision surgery have been fully discussed. Sometimes removal of breast implants without replacement is one of the choices that will be discussed.

Patients interested in revising their breast implants should attempt to obtain their previous surgical records, if possible, including the size, style, and manufacturer of the breast implants. This information helps Dr. Glicksman to understand why certain problems may have occurred while also providing information about any possible manufacturer warranties. Any patient older than 35 will also require an up-to-date mammography. In office High Resolution Ultrasound is also offered to evaluate if silicone implants are intact or ruptured and may be part of your evaluation before surgery.

The final surgical procedure will depend on the complexity of the problem. Multiple problems may require the use of various surgical techniques to restore a more natural appearing breast. Dr. Glicksman spends a great deal of time with her revision patients, many of whom may never have had the opportunity to learn about their full range of choices. The revision procedure may include changing the breast implants, changing the location of the implants (subglandular or partial submuscular), and addressing the stretched skin, if necessary. The goal in breast implant revision surgery is to restore a woman’s soft, natural-appearing breasts, as well as to give her stable, long-lasting results.

Breast implant choices now include various silicone gel fills and surfaces of implants for revisions in New Jersey. Dr. Glicksman has been performing both simple and very complicated revision augmentations since 1992, and is uniquely qualified to offer all available implants for revision procedures.

Revision Saline Breast Implants to Silicone Gel Breast Implants

Many women currently have saline breast implants either because saline was all that was offered to them, or they lacked complete information about other breast implant options that are available. Dr. Glicksman, a board certified plastic surgeon in Sea Girt, New Jersey, has been performing breast implant surgery with both round and shaped implants for breast augmentation and reconstruction since 1991. She is also one of only a handful of plastic surgeons in the United States who has been a principle investigator in 7 breast implant clinical trials, including Motiva implants, the newest to be studied in the United States.

Many patients present with either a deflated saline implant or are unhappy with their saline implants because of their feel or look. Saline implants may feel firmer than silicone breast implants when over-filled, or there is a capsular contracture. They tend to “bottom-out” over time due to their weight and effect on the thin tissues of the breast. They also may have higher failure (deflation) rates than some of the newer silicone breast implants. Deflation of the saline implant, or thinning of overlying skin and breast tissue, may produce visible and palpable wrinkling. In addition, many surgeons routinely oversize or overfill saline implants. This may lead to other local complications, such as stretched skin, asymmetry, or malposition problems.

Every Patient. Every Visit.

Dr. Glicksman is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has been committed to delivering expert, state-of-the-art care for her patients for over 25 years. The doctor performs all of her own consultations, procedures, and treatments and does not use “practice extenders” to care for her patients.

Book a Consultation

Call 732-974-2424

Breast Implant Surveillance

Dr. Glicksman has developed the Breast Implant Surveillance Center to assure patients the most reliable and up-to date imaging to follow their breast implants through the years.

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See photos of women with breast implants before and after their revision surgery in the breast implant revision photo gallery.

Textured Breast Implant Recall

Allergan Textured Implant Voluntary Recall-What this Really means – July 2019

In July of 2019 Allergan, one of the leading manufacturers of breast implants around the world, was asked to voluntarily recall all their textured, Biocell breast implants. What this means is that the company was asked to cease the marketing and sales of any of their textured breast implants due to increasing concerns of a relationship between these breast implants and a rare type of lymphoma called Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, or BIA-ALCL. What the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, and both the American Society of Plastic Surgery and The Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Society have made clear however, is that asymptomatic women do not need to remove their implants unless they choose to do so. Every reoperation includes some risks, both short-term including possible infection and damage to surrounding structures and the need to make some long-term decisions on whether to replace your implants or leave them out.

If you have Allergan textured implants, which includes the style 110, 115, 120, 168, 368, 468, or style 410 implants, and are having concerns about texture, their age, your size, shape, or the feel of your implants, it is best to consult with a plastic surgeon that has a vast experience with these implants. If you are my patient and haven’t returned for your regularly scheduled follow-up appointments, I welcome all patients back for a complementary exam which may include an in-office high resolution ultrasound to check the implant shell for any signs of rupture and look for any problems with the implant and capsule.

If you have any concerns about textured implants based on the FDA report, a letter from the manufacturer, or based on social media and want more information, please contact my office and set up a consultation to discuss what is known, and remains unknown, about the risks and benefits associated with textured breast implants.

Please feel free to contact my office to schedule a consultation. Consultations are lengthy and always with me, not a nurse or PA. Call the office at 732-974-2424, to set up a time that works for you.

Hope that this helped,

Dr. Glicksman