Regardless of Your Reasons
Just as there are many reasons why a woman might opt for breast implant surgery, there are also multiple motivations why she might later need or choose to have her implants removed.
Breast implant removal surgery requires advanced surgical skill, training, and experience. Dr. Ramon Garza III at Dr. Garza Plastic Surgery in San Antonio combines board-certified credentials with a deep commitment to promoting his patients’ health and happiness. If you are considering implant removal, Dr. Garza invites you to schedule a consultation.
It’s Time to Heal
The human body forms a capsule of scar tissue around any foreign body introduced into it, including artificial breast implants. Usually, the capsules are soft or only slightly firm. They are not noticeable and, in fact, help to hold the implants in place. But in some women, the capsules formed around implants become dense and hard and tighten around the implant, causing breast pain or distortion, or both. This condition is known medically as capsular contracture.
Capsule contracture can also be caused by other factors, including implant rupture, infections, and a patient’s genetic predisposition to scar formation. Every person’s healing process is unique. Not all cases of capsular contracture require surgery. Doctors have developed a four-stage rating system to evaluate the severity of capsular contracture. Dr. Garza will discuss your stage of capsular contracture during your consultation.
About three-quarters of all cases of capsular contracture develop within two years of implant insertion. If capsular contracture presents many years after implant surgery, the implants should be checked for ruptures. It’s important to remember that capsular contracture is not generally dangerous to a patient’s health unless it has been caused by infection or implant rupture or leakage.
Your Body Your Way
Some women eventually decide they no longer desire their implants. The majority of women who undergo breast augmentation are delighted with their improved appearance; however, breast augmentation may not be for everyone. You can remove (or replace) your implants for any of the following reasons:
Capsulectomy refers to the surgical removal of both an implant and its surrounding capsule. In a total capsulectomy, your doctor removes all of the capsule material but takes it out in pieces. “En bloc” capsulectomy is a technique in which the surgeon removes the capsule and its contained implant in one piece.
This is by far the most important decision you will make in seeking implant removals. Only great surgeons get great results. Insist on a board-certified and highly experienced plastic surgeon. The more you and your doctor know about each other and about your goals and concerns, the better. Communication is the key. Don’t hold back. Ask a lot of detailed and specific questions, and expect complete and direct answers. You and your doctor are assessing and “recruiting” each other as teammates. You should find it easy to talk with the “right” doctor, and when it comes to such specialized breast procedures like a capsulectomy San Antonio plastic surgeon, Dr. Garza, has extensive experience communicating with patients and removing implants.
Why Choose Dr. Garza?
Because he is an accomplished and highly-experienced surgeon, as well as a compassionate and empathetic person. The surgeon and medical practice you select matters. If you're looking for San Antonio breast implant removal, schedule a consultation today at Dr. Garza Plastic Surgery.
Be Prepared
For a period before and after your surgery, you will be directed to suspend use of any supplements or drugs—such as aspirin—that may elevate bleeding levels. Implant removal surgery is typically performed at a surgery center or hospital. Our San Antonio capsulectomy procedures usually take less than an hour. While most patients can go home the same day as their surgery, your doctor may, in some cases, recommend an overnight hospital stay.
An incision is usually made in the breast fold (inframammary) for an explantation procedure. Most of the time, the scar from the first surgery is used. During the procedure, the implant is carefully taken out. If the scar tissue (capsule) around the implant has grown or hardened, the whole capsule may need to be taken out. A total capsulectomy is the term for this. If the capsule is very thin and fragile, some of it might be left behind because taking it all out could hurt the breast tissue around it. As the body heals, it will stick to itself. Drains are put in the space left by the old implant to help the body heal. After a few days, they are taken away.
Feel Like You Again
Dr. Garza will give you a prescription for painkillers, but since the implant doesn't stretch the muscle or skin, it hurts less, and you don't need as many painkillers. Additionally, numbing medication is used during surgery to help reduce or eliminate pain. For a few weeks, you'll need to wear a surgical bra or sports bra to help you heal.
After the surgery, you can't do anything too vigorous for six weeks. It's normal to have swelling, and if you've had lifts or fat transfers, you may find spots that are uneven and firm at first. But as the wound heals and the tissue settles, these things will get better, and the shape will return to normal.
Diligently following your doctor’s recovery instructions is vital to success. Your final results will depend on the size of the implants that were removed and the quantity and quality of your natural breast tissue. Full healing can take as long as a year.
Capsular contracture develops in slightly less than eleven percent of breast implant recipients.
When it comes to medically-necessitated breast implant removal San Antonio patients may find that they have coverage benefits. But if the removal was purely an aesthetic procedure, your insurance will not pay.
A capsulotomy is a less-invasive procedure to loosen the scar tissue around an implant. Removing only a section of tight scar tissue can sometimes release the tension around your implant and improve the appearance of your breast.
Schedule Your Consultation with Dr. Garza Plastic Surgery in San Antonio Today
For a truly exceptional San Antonio plastic surgery experience, begin your journey by scheduling your private consultation with Dr. Ramon Garza III. With unwavering precision and a compassionate heart, Dr. Garza can help you live a life of beauty and confidence.
540 Madison Oak Dr, Suite 240, San Antonio, TX 78258
