Risks of Breast Implants

Women wanting to enhance their breast size, lift their breasts, or otherwise have reshaping and contouring breast implant surgery want to know the real risks involved. With all of the conflicting information out there about whether breast implants are really safe, it's hard to tell fact from fiction sometimes.

The fact of the matter is, a staggering number of women are now opting to have this surgery to enhance their appearance and many times their self esteem, since many women view small or unattractive breasts as a detriment to their femininity and beauty. It certainly doesn't help that the female breast has become an iconic symbol of beauty and womanly attraction.

We are going to examine some of the risks involved in getting breast augmentation surgery from an objective perspective. This includes the risks of the surgery itself, as well as the risks of what may happen to you or your implants after surgery.

Breast implants have been on the open market for almost three decades now, and the FDA was charged with regulating them as medical devices in the year of 1976, when they had already been on the market for ten years. While it is true that breast augmentations have come a long way in the realm of safety and longevity, there are still some people who may just not do well with a foreign object in their body.

These are the people who normally will have the most issues with their procedure after it has been done, since their body esentially rejects the implant and fights hard to "mend" the area by creating excess amounts of scar tissue, causing a painful condition called capsular contracture, or hardening of the implant and tissue around it.

Saline implants are believed to be safer than their predecessor, the silicone implant, due to the fact that saline is simply a salt water solution that is harmless when released into the blood stream if the implant ruptures or leaks.

The contrary was true as contended by thousands of women with silicone implants, who claimed they suffered irreparable nerve and musculoskeletal symptoms that could not be explained by doctors after their silicone implants had either leaked or ruptured.

The risks involved with saline breast implants are as follows

1.) Capsular contracture, as discussed previously, this is the hardening of the implant and the excess formation of scar tissue around the implant resulting in a painful condition that usually requires a second surgery to remedy the problem.

2.) The "ripple effect". This is VERY common on women with implants. When turned to the side, many times you can see a clear rippling of the saline bag on the side of the breast clearly visible through the skin. This is usually a dead giveaway a woman has implants. Other related effects are dimpling, puckering, and wrinkling.

3.) Implants can change shape, move around and migrate to different areas of the chest area, making the breasts appear deformed. Many times a second surgery needs to be performed or the implants removed when this happens.

4.) The implant can rupture from too much pressure, or simply can rupture on it's own depending on the strength of the implant and the length of time in the body. It is recommended women with the devices get them replaced roughly every ten years to avoid rupture.

5.) Infection. This is one of the risks that can occur directly after the augmentation surgery. Infection of the surgical area may occur.

6.) Loss of feeling around the nipple and areola. This can especially be a frequent occurrence with women who choose areolar entry for the implant due to possible nerve damage(the implant is actually inserted through the nipple).

7.) The implant may interfere with the detection of breast cancer, and also can interfer with breast feeding, depending on the technique used to perform the operation.

There you have it. These are the most common risks and unpleasantries involved with surgical breast augmentations. If you want larger breasts, but don't find the prospect of these possible risks particularly inviting, there are other natural options for you to pursue that are effective and are 100% you.