Patients who are unhappy with the appearance of their breasts after a breast augmentation cosmetic surgery or suffer from complications should consult a plastic surgeon for a breast implant revision surgery. A skilled and experienced breast revision surgeon can develop a personalized surgical plan to address the patient’s unique needs.
At the time of the pre-op consultation process, the surgeon will try to evaluate the patient’s goals and assess the condition of the existing implants to determine the most suitable technique for the breast implant revision procedure. The patient should take this opportunity to get detailed information about the surgeon and identify an approach that is most appropriate for her.
The consultation process represents a vital opportunity for the patient to understand more about the surgical procedure. Patients should make a list of their questions and concerns ahead of the procedure to get the most value from their consultation with the cosmetic surgeon.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey provides breast implant revision surgery to patients in Atlanta, Buckhead, Georgia, and surrounding locations.
Implant Replacement or Removal
The patient’s choice for implant removal or replacement is a key decision taken during the consultation. Women, who have experienced capsular contracture, which leads to the implants losing their shape, position, or becoming taut, damaged or rippled, will necessarily need to undergo implant replacement or removal.
If the patient chooses to undergo only implant removal and not a replacement, she may require a breast lift as a component of the breast revision surgery. The surgeon will evaluate the breast skin laxity and consider the patient’s cosmetic needs to determine whether a breast lift should be a part of the breast implant revision surgery.
Implant Choice, Incision Preferences, and Anesthesia
The surgeon will often use the incision lines from the previous surgery to remove the older implants and insert new ones. Using these incision lines will avoid the chances of additional scarring in new areas.
But if the patient chooses implants that are different in size, shape, or type from the original implants, the surgeon may need to make changes to the implant pockets by making new incisions.
An implant replacement cosmetic surgery procedure will be preceded by a detailed discussion between the surgeon and the patient during the consultation process, enabling them to arrive at the right decision regarding the new implants.
Surgeons typically advise patients to undergo a breast implant replacement procedure rather than an implant removal as this makes the surgery less complex and mitigates the possibility of bleeding and infection.
For an implant revision procedure, patients are typically placed under general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. They can usually return home on the day of the surgery itself. The decision on anesthesia will depend on the patient’s general medical condition, the extent of the procedure, and clearance from the anesthesiologist.
Developing Reasonable Expectations
A responsible surgeon will carefully evaluate the inherent cosmetic needs and goals of the patient regarding her breasts. They may show her before and after images of past breast revision surgeries to allow her to develop reasonable expectation about her surgery outcomes.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey receives patients from Atlanta, Buckhead, Georgia, and nearby areas for breast implant revision.
For more information on procedures and treatments offered by Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Paul McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, visit:
Serving patients in and around Atlanta, Buckhead, Roswell, Marietta, Georgia and surrounding areas.