Many female patients have encountered problems after a period of cosmetic surgery to "upgrade" their bust.
Information from Tam Anh General Hospital in Hanoi said that the facility had just received a 45-year-old female patient who noticed her right breast was deformed and had a painful lump. She thought it was breast cancer, so she went for screening and discovered many fibroids and breast cysts, along with a ruptured breast implant.
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| Experts recommend that when people have cosmetic needs, they should seek out specialized, reputable, quality facilities. |
The results showed that the right breast had a 1cm cyst causing inflammation, the breast implant had ruptured but fortunately the fibrous capsule was intact so the silicone had not spread to the breast tissue; the left breast had many scattered breast tumors measuring 0.5-1cm.
Doctor Le Nguyet Minh, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, said that breast implant rupture is a complication of breast augmentation surgery, occurring when the breast implant (containing silicone or saline) is torn or ruptured, causing the liquid inside to leak out.
The rate of breast implant rupture is reported to be about 1% per year, according to a US study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2017.
Symptoms of ruptured breast implants are usually pain, redness in the chest, lumps, and breast deformation, quite similar to symptoms of breast diseases such as fibroids, breast cysts, and breast cancer. Some cases of rupture do not have any symptoms (silent rupture), making early detection difficult.
Many cases of ruptured breast implants are only discovered by chance during breast cancer screening. “If a ruptured breast implant is not detected and removed early, it can cause infection and breast deformity that is difficult to recover from. In addition, the silicone can move to other parts of the body, causing many complications and is very difficult to remove,” said Dr. Minh.
There are many causes of breast implant rupture, the most common is due to the aging of the implant when the usage time exceeds the recommended lifespan (average 10-15 years), in addition to external impacts such as collisions, trauma to the chest area; capsular contracture creates scar tissue on the surface of the implant, increasing the risk of rupture; poor quality breast implants, not meeting safety standards.
Also experiencing trouble after undergoing breast augmentation surgery, information from Hanoi Medical University Hospital said that the facility had just received two consecutive cases of ruptured breast implants for examination. Notably, the patients were unaware that their breast implants had ruptured.
Hanoi Medical University Hospital said the first case was a 55-year-old woman in Hanoi. The patient had breast implants in 2010, exactly 14 years ago.
On April 22, the patient went to Hanoi Medical University Hospital for a general check-up. The ultrasound and MRI results showed that the left breast implant had ruptured. Before that, she had not noticed any abnormal signs, so she did not know that the breast implant had ruptured.
The woman confided that she was very surprised because when she had her breast implants placed, she was advised that the implants would be “guaranteed forever”. Therefore, she did not think about having to have her breast implants checked or replaced, since the time of her breast augmentation until now.
The second case is a 31-year-old female patient from Ha Nam. The woman had breast implants 4 years ago and went to the doctor because her left breast felt tense and deformed compared to the right side.
Ultrasound and MRI results showed that the patient's left breast implant was ruptured, and the chest cavity around the implant had a lot of fluid (about 2cm thick).
Both cases above were indicated for early surgery to remove the breast implants, clean the secretions and silicone gel that escaped around them, clean the implant cavity, and place a new breast implant back in.
Doctor Hoang Hong, in charge of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Hanoi Medical University Hospital, said that if a ruptured breast implant is not detected and treated early, the accumulated fluid can lead to inflammatory reactions, widespread infection, causing breast deformation, requiring long-term treatment. In addition, when the breast is infected, re-inserting the implant will increase the risk of fibrosis and capsular contracture," said Doctor Hoang Hong.
According to Dr. Hoang Hong, breast implants can rupture due to many reasons, such as sharp objects: sewing needles, syringes, knives, or strong external forces when the quality of the breast implant is poor...
Broken bags can also be due to the quality of the breast implant manufacturer or after a long period of implantation, the quality will deteriorate and the bag will easily tear.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that women should replace their breast implants after 10 years and should not leave them for more than 15 years.
Doctor Hoang Hong said that the Department of Plastic Surgery, Hanoi Medical University Hospital has received many patients with ruptured breast implants due to breast augmentation surgery that was too long ago (over 10 years).
There were times when the Department received 3-4 patients in a day who came for examination because they were in similar situations.
Most patients share that when they come to cosmetic facilities for breast augmentation consultation, they are either convinced that there is a “lifetime warranty”, or are not explained thoroughly, so patients subjectively do not think about having to have a follow-up examination or replace the breast implants.
“This is very worrying, because no breast implant can have a “lifetime warranty, a permanent warranty,” this expert affirmed.
Doctor Hoang Hong recommends that women who have breast implants should see a doctor immediately if they experience any unusual symptoms such as swelling, pain, tension, breast deformity, etc.
If no abnormalities are detected, after about 7-8 years, women should have an ultrasound and X-ray to check the bag and should replace the bag after 10 years.
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