Tag: Capsular Contracture

Capsular Contracture

When a foreign object inters our body, our immune system tries to either destroy it or contain it. Some immune systems interpret a breast implant as a foreign object. Since the immune system cant destroy an implant, it tries to contain it. It attempts to build a wall around the intruder to keep it from spreading to the rest of the body. The wall around the implant is called a capsule.

When the capsule tightens around the implant its called capsular contracture. The squeezing can be painful and can change the shape of the breast. The changed shape can affect the appearance of the breast as well.

The severity of the capsular contracture varies between cases. With the mildest case, the breast looks normal and still feels soft. This is classified as grade 1. Grade 2 still looks normal, but the breast is a little firm. At grade 3, the breast is firm and the appearance is considered abnormal. Grade 4 is the most severe and the most painful. The breast looks abnormal and is hard.

You may have to have another operation to fix capsular contracture. The capsule has to be removed, and sometimes the implant has to be replaced. But there are cases where successful treatments have been achieved without any additional surgery.

Its not known exactly what causes the bodys immune system to behave abnormally towards an implant, but capsular contracture can happen after any implant or implant repair surgery. Not just breast implants.

Implant Placement

Complications commonly arise from any surgical procedure. The possibility and severity of these complications vary depending on all the circumstances of each individual surgery. The same is true for breast augmentation. One factor in determining any potential complications you may encounter is how and where the breast implants are placed. The placement can also affect the final appearance..

There are four commonly used methods of placing breast implants. The placements vary from being underneath, below or against the pectoralis muscle. These methods achieve different results as well as encountering different complications.

The subpectoral technique is the most common method used in North America. It has the lowest rate of capsular contracture. The subglandular method has a higher capsular contracture rate, but is thought to produce results that are more natural in appearance. This method also might show ripples or wrinkles in the implant in women with thin tissue in the placement area.

The benefits of a third method, subfascial, are still being debated. Supporters claim the method helps in sustaining the implant position. The fourth technique is called the submuscular implant. This method is commonly chosen when doing full breast reconstruction.

Your surgeon may have a preferred method, or choose it based on each individual case. He should discuss the method choices available to you before surgery is scheduled. No particular method rules out the chance of complications just as no method assures them either. And the appearance achieved by one technique may differ from person to person.