If you want to improve the shape and appearance of your breasts, you are not alone
We understand that every woman has a unique body shape. Crafting the right proportions for your figure is key.
We are here to listen and gently guide you to ensure you make the right decision. Everyone is different so we ensure that we offer all our patients personalised, holistic services without the shortcuts.
Specialist plastic surgeons, draw from extensive training in both reconstructive and cosmetic disciplines. Always considering your overall proportions while aiming to deliver a natural-looking result in a safe and supportive environment.
Reasons for Considering Breast Implants:
Breast Augmentation – This procedure increases the size and proportions of a woman’s breasts.
Breast Reconstruction – This procedure is performed to restore a woman’s breast shape after a mastectomy or injury that resulted in either partial or total loss of the breast(s), or to correct a birth defect.
Replacement or Revision – This procedure is performed as replacement or revision surgery for patients with previous augmentation or reconstruction with silicone gel-filled or saline-filled implants.
What Are the Alternatives to Breast Augmentation?
Accept your breasts as they are
Wear a padded bra or external prostheses
Risks specific to breast augmentation surgery
In addition to risk related to any type of surgical procedures, there are potential complications specific to breast implant surgery and breast implants, some of these complications are listed below. If you experience any symptoms related to your breast implants, you should consult with our surgeon as soon as possible.
Rupture. Breast Implants are not lifetime devices. Rupture (a hole or break in the shell) can occur at any time after implantation, but it is more likely to occur the longer the implant is insitu. Your implants could rupture without noticing any change in your breasts. In some of these instances even your doctor might not be able to tell that a rupture has occurred. The best way to diagnose a rupture is with an Ultrasound Scan or MRI examination.
Capsular Contracture. The scar tissue (capsule) that normally forms around the implant may tighten over time and compress the implant, making it feel firm and leading to what is called capsular contracture. Capsular contracture may be more common following infection, haematoma, and seroma, and the chance of it happening may increase over time. Capsular contracture occurs more commonly in revision-breast augmentation than in primary breast augmentation.
Because you may have your initial implants replaced, you should be aware that your risk of capsular contracture increases with revision-reconstruction. Capsular contracture is a risk factor for implant rupture, and it is one of the most common reasons for reoperation.
Pain. Pain of varying intensity and duration may occur and persist following breast implant surgery. Areas where you may experience pain include the breast, chest wall and axilla. In addition, pain may be associated with nerve entrapment or interference with muscle motion. You should tell your surgeon about any severe pain.
Changes in Nipple and Breast Sensation. Feeling in the nipple and breast can increase or decrease following breast implantation.
Delayed Wound Healing. In some cases, the incision site fails to heal normally. Infection, radiation, chemotherapy, smoking, diabetes, taking steroids, anti-coagulants, and excessive heat or cold therapy can cause necrosis and delayed wound healing.
Dissatisfaction with Cosmetic Results. Dissatisfying results such as wrinkling,
asymmetry, implant displacement (shifting), incorrect size, unanticipated shape, implant palpability, scar deformity, hypertrophic (irregular, raised) scarring, and/or sloshing (with implants containing saline) may occur. Careful surgical planning and technique can minimize but not always prevent such results.
Inflammation see pain and infection.
Infection. Infection is a possible consequence of any kind of surgery. Signs that you have an infection include: skin redness or rash, tenderness or pain, fluid accumulation in or around the breast(s), and fever.
Active Infection. If you have active infections anywhere in your body you should consult your surgeon before breast implantation.
Haematoma/Seroma. Haematoma is a collection of blood within the space around the implant and seroma is a build up of fluid around the implant.
Impact to Breastfeeding - Some women with breast implants have reported difficulty breastfeeding.
Extrusion of the implant/Interruption of Wound Healing - Unstable or compromised tissue covering and/or interruption of wound healing may result in extrusion, which is when the breast implant comes through the skin. Unstable or compromised tissue covering and/or interruption of wound healing may result in extrusion, which is when the breast implant comes through the
skin.
Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) – Based on information reported to global regulatory agencies and found in medical literature, an association has been identified between breast implants and the development of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer of the immune system). If you have breast implants, you have a very small, but increased risk of developing Breast Implant Associated ALCL (BIA-ALCL). In most cases, BIA-ALCL is found in the scar tissue (capsule) and fluid near the implant, with documented potential for local, regional, and distant spread of the cancer throughout the body. In the cases that have spread beyond the scar tissue and fluid near the implant, rare cases of death have been reported. Most patients were diagnosed with BIA-ALCL when they sought medical treatment for implant-related symptoms such as swelling, pain, lumps or asymmetry that developed after their initial surgical site were fully healed. In the cases known to date, BIA-ALCL was diagnosed years after the breast implant was placed.
BIA-ALCL has been reported globally in patients with an implant history that includes breast implants with various surface properties, styles, and shapes. Most of the cases in the literature reports describe a history of using textured implants. Reports in the literature show that high-surface-area textured breast implants are associated with an increased risk of developing BIA-ALCL as compared to low-surface-area textured implants. Several journal articles explore the risk factors for BIA-ALCL, including the varied methods used to create the surface texture of the implant and the role of biofilm in causing disease, among others.
Signs to be aware of for BIA ALCL:
- swelling or pain around your breast implants, be sure to talk to your surgeon
- your health care provider should consider the possibility of BIA-ALCL - late changes in the way your breast looks or feels – including swelling or pain around the implant.
Your surgeon may send you for tests that involve testing samples of fluid and tissue samples around your breast implant. If a diagnosis is confirmed, the surgeon will develop an individualised treatment plan for you.
Necrosis (formation of dead tissue around the implant). This may prevent wound healing and require surgical correction and/or implant removal.
Connective Tissue Disease (CTD), Signs, and Symptoms - Concern over the association of breast implants to the development of autoimmune or connective tissue diseases, such as lupus, scleroderma, or rheumatoid arthritis, was raised because of cases reported in the literature in small numbers of women with implants. A review of several large epidemiological studies of women with and without implants indicates that these diseases are no more common in women with implants than those without implants.
Wrinkling of the implant/Dissatisfaction with Cosmetic Results/Asymmetry
Calcium Deposits in the Tissue Around the Implants
Deposits of calcium can be seen on mammograms and can be mistaken for possible cancer, resulting in additional surgery to biopsy and/or removal of the implants to distinguish them
from cancer.
Breast Tissue Atrophy/Chest Wall Deformity- The pressure of the breast implants may cause the breast tissue to thin and shrink. This can occur while implants are still in place or
following implant removal without replacement.
Additional Surgeries - You should understand there is a high chance that you will need to have additional surgery at some point to replace or remove the implant. Also, problems such as rupture, capsular contracture, infection, shifting, and calcium deposits can require removal of the implants. Many women decide to have the implants replaced, but some women do not. If you choose not to, you may have cosmetically unacceptable dimpling and/or puckering of the breast following removal of the implant.
Autoimmune Diseases such as lupus and scleroderma. If you have these conditions, you should consult your physician before breast implantation.
Blood coagulation diseases. If you have conditions that interfere with wound healing and blood clotting, you should consult your physician before breast implantation.
Tissue characteristics. If you have tissue characteristics, which are clinically incompatible with breast implantation (e.g. tissue damage resulting from radiation, inadequate tissue, or compromised vascularity, you should consult your physician before breast implantation.
Considerations for Mammography
In consultation with your surgeon you may consider establishing a baseline mammogram reference by obtaining mammograms pre-operation and another one six months to one year after implantation. The implant may interfere with finding breast cancer during mammography and also may make it difficult to perform mammography. Therefore, it is essential that you tell your radiographer that you have an implant before the procedure. They can use special techniques to minimize the possibility of rupture and to get the best possible views of the breast tissue. Because the breast is squeezed during mammography, it is possible for an implant to rupture during the procedure. More x-ray views are necessary with these special techniques; therefore, women with breast implants will receive more radiation. However, the benefit of the mammogram in finding cancer outweighs the risk of the additional x-rays.
Magnetic Fields/MRI Compatibility
You should discuss impact to MRI testing with your physician prior to breast implantation. MRI scans may be used to determine if your implant has ruptured. MRIs are not suitable for patients that have
metal devices in their bodies. If you have a metal device implanted, please advise your surgeon.
Life expectancy
Breast implants are not lifetime devices. However, the life expectancy of a silicone breast implant cannot be precisely estimated, as there are many factors beyond the manufacturer’s and surgeon's control that can affect a breast implant’s longevity. A breast implant’s life expectancy varies from patient to patient depending on many factors that affect the durability and efficiency of breast implants,including your lifestyle, your body’s response to the implanted breast implants, and the expertise of your surgeon. Average life expectancy of breast implants in the market has been indicated as 10 years, but as long as the breast implants are not ruptured or subject to any complication, there is no need to remove or replace them.
How often should I check on my breast implants?
It is suggested that you should check the integrity of your breast implants every 2 years by ultrasound scan and/or MRI.
