Secondary (Revisional) Breast Augmentation
By: Stanley G. Poulos, M.D.

Breast enhancement has long been one of the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures. In spite of the very high overall satisfaction rate, it is not unusual that secondary or revisional operations maybe required. In some cases these operations may be elective (for instance to change to a larger or smaller implant). The body recognizes a breast implant as a foreign material and will therefore attempt to form a fibrous capsule around the foreign body. This occurs with all surgical implants such as hip replacement, knee replacement, etc.

In breast augmentation surgery, this process may result in a breast, which appears or feels unnaturally firm. In the worst cases, this may result in a distorted appearance or significant discomfort.

In the past many patients have accepted these problems as a trade-off for a larger breast size, but today this is no longer necessary. Modern implants are much improved, as are the techniques of surgery. Scar tissue can be removed and the implants replaced or repositioned to create a much more natural appearance. The present generation of silicone implants can offer significant improvement versus implants placed many years prior.

These secondary surgeries are more difficult than “virgin augmentations” and require an experienced surgeon dedicated to an excellent result. Problems such as firmness, abnormal nipple-areolar position, or shape, excessively wide breasts, uni-breasts, palpable or visible skin rippling, etc., should no longer be accepted.

As a very experienced breast surgeon and long-time clinical investigator for silicone implants Dr. Poulos performs many of these procedures on a weekly basis. "These are not cookie-cutter" operations. Every technique in the surgeon’s arsenal and every improvement and every technology as required for success in these challenging cases.