Breast Augmentation (Enlargement) Surgery

Most women will be up and about within 24-48 hours after surgery. Most women return to work within a few days to a week, although the timing will vary with the job and the type of physical activity it requires. Swelling of the breasts should subside within 3-5 weeks after the surgery. Some women experience numbness or loss of sensation in the breasts or around the nipples, but this is usually temporary.

The most common complication of breast implants is capsular contracture, a tightening of the scar tissue that the body produces around the implant as a natural part of healing. Additional surgery may be required either to remove the scar tissue or to remove—and perhaps replace—the implant.

The FDA warns that a breast implant is not a lifetime device. The implant may rupture, causing the saline to leak out. Although the saline will be harmlessly absorbed by the body, the size and shape of the breast will again be reduced. This occurrence may require additional operations for removal and/or replacement of the implant. The FDA says that some implants rupture or deflate within the first few months, while others remain intact 10 or more years after surgery.

There is no evidence that breast implants affect pregnancy or the ability to breast feed. There is also no evidence that implants increase the likelihood of breast cancer. However, implants make both taking and reading mammograms (special low-dose x-rays used to detect breast cancer) harder. Women with breast implants should have regular mammograms at the interval prescribed for their age and medical situation. They should tell the radiology technician about the implants because the technician will have to take special additional films of the breast.

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For More Information

From the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS):
Breast Augmentation/Augmentation Mammaplasty
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/surgery/br...

From the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS):
Breast Augmentation
http://www.surgery.org/BREASTAUGFACT.HTML
http://www.surgery.org/BREAST_AUGMENTATI...

Plastic Surgery Network: Breast Augmentation
http://www.plastic-surgery.net/procedure...

FDA Overview of Breast Implant Surgery
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/i...

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