Breast Implants
It is important to know how to care for your breast implants, and to recognize when you may need assistance. Or perhaps you are considering a change or replacement. Whether your implants were performed by our practice or somewhere else in the past, Dr. Richard Tepper is always available if you have questions or concerns about your health or appearance.
If you already had breast augmentation, I hope you love your new appearance. And if you’re considering breast implant surgery, it’s time to make sure you are informed about implants and your well-being.
About Breast Implants
There are two basic types of breast implants, Saline and Gel.
Saline implants:
- May provide slightly more projection for women who prefer that look.
- Require less surveillance than silicone gel. If a saline implant ruptures, the breast deflates so it’s easy to detect. And the body absorbs the saline fluid so there’s no new risk. An implant change is usually quite simple.
- May show more visible rippling in the overlying skin of the breast.
- Look and feel may be less natural than silicone gel-filled breast implants.
Silicone gel-filled breast implants:
- Dramatically improved from the original styles in the past, which were made of a weaker outer shell and a less stable gel material filling.
- Silicone gel implants today are highly cohesive. They are soft and pliable, but do not leak when cut.
- Generally look and feel more natural, particularly as it can be difficult to discern where the breast ends and the implant begins.
- Require greater monitoring, including, but not limited to, annual exams, regular mammograms, and/or ultrasounds or MRI scans because a rupture is more difficult to detect.
Breast implants are not for life. Whereas they may last for decades, they more than likely will require change or removal over time.
Breast implants may result in some visible rippling of the skin. This is not a complication of the surgery or a problem with the implants. It just means that your tissues do not completely hide what is naturally present. There are some ways to lessen visible rippling and Dr. Richard Tepper will be glad to discuss this during your consultation.
BeforeAfter 
Caring For Your Implants
If you are planning breast implant surgery, or recently underwent breast implant surgery, you may want to use extra caution when undergoing dental procedures or other treatments that may introduce bacteria into your system. There may be a small risk of implant infection if they are still new, so consider discussing preventative antibiotic usage with your doctor or dentist prior to having such a procedure performed.
Another area of concern for many patients is how to detect a rupture in the implant. This differs based on the type of implant you’ve selected:
Ruptures of saline breast implants are usually self-evident. When a saline breast implant ruptures, the saline leaks out and is absorbed by the body. The implant naturally deflates as the saline leaks out and the breast decreases in size. The change in size will signal a rupture.
A Silicone breast implant leak is harder to detect. The silicone gel is “cohesive,” meaning that it doesn’t move freely. As such, a leak or rupture may not change the breast size. However, in others, a disruption in the implant may cause sudden pain or hardening of the breast, requiring an exam or an imaging study.
If you have you experienced a change, such as breast discomfort, change in shape, change in size or change in how the breast feels, request a consultation online or call us at (908) 654-6540 to schedule your appointment with Dr. Richard Tepper, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.
Results of Implants and Revision Surgery
Patients also want to know how to care for their new breasts on a more routine basis. While we can discuss daily care during your post-operative visits, here are some recommendations to help:
- Get a bra that will support your new profile and prevent sagging. You might want to have a bra fitting to select the appropriate level of support. And if you engage in strenuous activity of any sort, you should wear a tightly fitting sports bra to keep the girls immobile.
- Make massage a part of your daily routine. You can massage the implants each day in the shower, making sure that the implants move freely up and toward the center of your chest. This helps ensure that they will continue to move as freely as your natural breast tissue.
- Take precautions when visiting the dentist. Dental procedures, especially teeth cleaning, will introduce bacteria into your blood stream for a short period of time. There is some evidence that this bacteria might end up in the capsule around the implants and that you might develop an infection. While this is rare, why take a chance when one dose of oral antibiotics taken an hour before the visit and two doses afterwards will prevent the possibility? Let your dentist know of the issue, and he can prescribe the antibiotic for you.
