In our previous blog post we covered what are the most common causes for breast implant rupture and what can be the symptoms.
Let’s say for example that you notice that one of your breast is a bit smaller than the other after you’ve been to do a regular checkup or a mammogram. It is most likely that the exam wasn’t done the right way and that your implant has ruptured. But how can you tell for sure?
Diagnosis for breast implant rupture
The first thing that you must do is to immediately contact a specialist plastic surgeon and tell them about your concern. You will need to come in for a review and consultation and to undergo a physical exam.
In order to determine whether or not your implant has ruptured, the cosmetic surgeon will refer you do to an MRI since that is the best possible imaging method to assess breast implants. This might be an expensive exam but it does provide the best result i.e. they rarely miss perforations. The other, alternative method is to have an ultrasound of your breast. This is a cheaper but less reliable option because they can sometimes show false indications of perforation.
Treatment options
Once your surgeon has confirmed that your breast implant is indeed ruptured, you will need to have an experienced plastic surgeon to go a corrective breast surgery. Corrective surgery might be a bit more complicated than the initial breast implant surgery. From the surgical options, you can choose do to either a breast implant removal or replacement.
If you opt in for breast implant removal surgery, during the procedure the cosmetic surgeon will make an incision in your breast to remove the ruptured implant. In case you had silicone implants, any free silicone gel and scar tissue (if there is any) will also be removed. This doesn’t apply for saline implants, since they can’t cause harm on your body. With this surgical approach, the other breast implant will also be removed, even if it’s not ruptured or damaged.
During the implant removal surgery, the surgeon can also place in new implants if you wish. This way there’s no need for a second procedure and two incisions in the same place. But, some actually recommend that you wait a bit before getting new implants just so your breast could heal and you can rethink if you’re having second thoughts. This is all something you can discuss with your surgeon.
Hopefully you find this information useful. In case you do notice changes in your breast size or shape, contact Dr. Kotoske and schedule an appointment. It might not be that your implant ruptured, but it simply slid out of its place and needs to be put back.
