Breast implant removal is something no woman wants to do after cosmetic surgery. People often see the bright side of cosmetic surgery, but the truth is that there are many late complications related to breast augmentation surgery that require the implants to be removed as soon as possible.
Doctor removed Allergan textured breast implants/double capsule peeling after 6 years of breast augmentation.
Currently, many women who have had breast implants for more than 5 years want to remove their breast implants, especially overseas Vietnamese customers, for many reasons such as: ruptured implants, fibrous caps, sagging implants, hard implants, rough implants (pockets produced by the salt freezing mechanism) with the risk of causing cancer, saline implants, leaking implants, exposed implants, implants that flow toward the shoulder bone, and breast implants that are too large for the body.
Below is the sharing of Master, Doctor Ho Cao Vu, currently working at Cho Ray Hospital, about some cases where breast implants need to be removed. Women need to know to self-assess their current condition and go to specialists for examination.
Breast implant removal procedure using ultrasonic knife
Step 1: In-depth MRI of the breast to check for breast disease, breast implants, pockets and diseases related to breast implants.
Step 2: Screen for possible cancer risk and lesions related to the bag.
Step 3: Clinical examination to plan breast implant removal surgery, handle associated complications such as ruptured implant, fibrous capsule, implant slippage, fistula... and determine whether to replace with a new implant.
Step 4: Health check-up, women need to perform tests before breast implant removal surgery at a specialized general hospital. For normal breast implant removal cases, it only takes 30-45 minutes, but for difficult breast implant removal cases, re-creating the implant cavity, peeling off the fibrous capsule, ruptured implant, etc., the anesthesia time will be longer.
Step 5: Breast implant removal surgery, the doctor will make a 3cm - 3.5cm incision at the areola or chest base (in cases where there are no abnormalities) and use a Harmonic or Innolcon, Enseal, Ligasure ultrasonic knife to cut the tissue inside to remove the old breast implant. Check the implant brand, size, implant size and projection.
Step 6: Clean the pocket cavity. In cases of ruptured breast implants or abnormal fluid, the team must clean the pocket cavity, culture the fluid, and perform an antibiotic test when the fluid is cloudy.
Step 7: Peel off the fibrous capsule (if any) and take fibrous tissue for pathological examination to check if the fibrous tissue is benign or malignant. Prepare a cold biopsy if malignant.
Step 8: Reshape the pocket (replace a new pocket if indicated) and correct the pocket to improve the condition of the gap, pocket slippage, or pocket that is too wide or too narrow.
Step 9: Wear a post-operative shaping garment. In cases where the bag is removed and replaced, the patient usually does not drain on the same day. In cases where the bag is removed abnormally or there is extensive internal damage, the patient will need to drain and stay in the hospital for 1 night before being discharged.
Possible risks during breast implant removal
Breast implant removal is a surgery that requires general anesthesia, like other surgeries, but the risks include: infection, bleeding, hematoma, seroma, scarring, etc. Breast implant removal must be performed at a specialized general hospital, by a doctor with expertise in pathology and aesthetics to ensure customer safety.
Recovery time after breast implant removal
After removing the breast implant and replacing it with a new one, if there are no abnormalities, when using an ultrasonic knife instead of an electric knife, women will have less pain and heal faster, without needing to take painkillers or antibiotics after surgery, and can return home the same day.
Some ultrasonic knives used in breast implant removal surgery such as Harmonic or Innolcon, Enseal, Ligasure, the knife operates on the "burning - welding - cutting" mechanism, using ultrasonic waves and an automatic warning system to create stable heat to minimize burns and tissue damage, no secretion, no bleeding so it does not increase the normal inflammation after surgery.
The doctor uses an ultrasonic knife in the surgery to remove the breast implant and peel off the fibrous capsule.
Advantages of removing breast implants using ultrasonic knife
Dr. Ho Cao Vu, who has more than 10 years of experience using ultrasonic knives in pathological and cosmetic surgery, shared: removing breast implants and replacing them with new ones when using ultrasonic knives is similar to new breast augmentation with advantages such as no bleeding, no pain, quick healing, no long-term scarring, no need to rest, no painkillers or antibiotics, and can go home the same day without having to stay in the hospital.
It should be noted that the cost of installing an ultrasound machine is very high, so most of the time only large hospitals have a system that serves both pathology and aesthetics. The same knife should not be used for multiple surgeries to ensure absolute sterility and the quality of the knife in each breast surgery - aesthetics.
Below is the case of a customer from Australia, 1m57 tall, 53kg in weight, who had 2 breast augmentation surgeries more than 13 years ago. The first time, a 300cc Mentor implant was placed, but the right side had a shrunken and hardened fibrous capsule.
The second time, she decided to remove the right bag, peel off the fibrous capsule and replace it with a 290cc Allergan textured bag, while the left bag remained the 300cc Mentor bag. Currently, her breasts have changed in shape abnormally and doctors in Australia ordered her to have an in-depth MRI of her breast and discovered that her breast bag was leaking. She decided to return home to remove the breast bag and not replace it.
Before surgery, Dr. Vu noted on the MRI film that the pocket showed signs of rupture and thickening in some areas.
Image of Allergan breast implant removal after many years of breast augmentation.
During the breast implant removal surgery, Dr. Ho Cao Vu noticed that on the left side, the Mentor implant was placed at a position of 3-5g, the inside of the pocket was yellow, the chronically thick inflammatory tissue had no fibrous fibers in the pocket wall (this is the reaction of the pocket position when in contact with the leaking breast implant gel over time, creating a yellow color).
On the right side, an Allergan emery bag is placed. The inside of the pocket has hard fibers. The edge of the pocket at the 7g - 10g position has a thick, white pocket wall. There is no evidence of hyperplasia (a chronic inflammation of the lining).
The doctor used an ultrasonic knife to remove the two leaking breast implants, cut and cleaned the tissue, checked and washed it with 0.9% Sodium Chloride saline, restored each layer with sutures, and closed the skin with Dermabond glue. She returned home the same day after leaving the recovery room.
Bao Anh
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