Potential Risks and Complications

Other Known Risks

1. Calcium deposits in the tissue around the implant: Calcium deposits of this type are not harmful, but in mammograms they may resemble the calcium that is often a sign of breast cancer. Because of this similarity, a physician may occasionally decide to remove and examine a tiny amount of tissue (perform a biopsy) but this generally does not require removing the implant.

2. Additional surgeries: Having a breast augmentation is like buying a new car, since it is naturally understood that a car will need to have maintenance performed at some point in the future. Dr. Adams instructs his patients that some maintenance may be required on your breast or implant in 10-15 years.

Patients should understand that additional surgery is likely to be needed at some point in the future to replace or remove implants that wear out. Also, problems such as deflation, capsular contracture, infection, shifting and calcium deposits can require surgery for removal. If or when you have an implant that requires surgical removal, you should discuss with Dr. Adams whether or not it should be replaced, since a replacement implant may require additional surgeries.

3. Infection: Infection can occur with any surgery. The probability of infection with implant surgery is not known, but you should ask Dr. Adams what his experience has been. Most infections resulting from surgery appear within a few days to weeks after the operation. However, infection is possible at any time after surgery. Dr. Adams does recommend that his patients with breast implants take antibiotics for 24 hours around dental procedures to help prevent infections. Infections with foreign bodies present (such as implants) are harder to treat than infections in normal body tissue. If an infection does not respond to antibiotics, the implant may be removed and later replaced with a new one, after the infection has been cured.

4. Hematoma: A hematoma is a collection of blood inside the body (in this case, around the implant or around the incision). Swelling, pain and bruising may result. The chance of getting a hematoma is not known, but you should ask Dr. Adams about his experience. A hematoma may occur soon after surgery, or at any time, if there is an injury to the breast. Small hematomas are absorbed by the body, but large ones may need to be drained surgically for proper healing. Surgical draining causes scarring, which is minimal in most cases.

5. Delayed wound healing: In rare instances, an implant may stretch the skin abnormally. This complication may require additional surgery.

6. Shifting of the implant: Sometimes an implant may shift from its initial placement, giving the breasts an unnatural look and requiring further surgery to correct the problem. An implant may become visible at the surface of the breast as a result of the device pushing through layers of skin. Or, an implant may shift so that it can be felt through the skin. (Placing the implant beneath the muscle may help to minimize the possibility of this problem.) Other problems with appearance could include incorrect implant size, visible scars, uneven appearance or wrinkling of the implant.

7. Autoimmune diseases: to date many studies have been done (primarily on silicone implants). The overall consensus is that the implants are not associated with autoimmune diseases.

Saline breast implants have never been implicated in causing autoimmune disease.

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