Breast surgery is one of the most common procedures among the women. Every year hundred thousands of women undergo breast implant surgery. As the popularity rises, myths and speculative claims float around that rise. Dozens of questions make your mind busy. Here are the facts you should know and I will try to debunk regarding this issue as much as I can…
What are the side effects of breast implants?
One of the most considered questions is whether silicone causes a reaction or not. Silicone does not interact with the body chemically, that is, it does not cause side effects and allergic reactions. However, the body may react biologically against silicone that may lead to capsular contracture.
Millions of women underwent surgery so far. Some autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and lupus were seen among the women. Thereupon, the relation between silicone and autoimmune disease was suspected in the past. However scientific studies proved that such autoimmune diseases were not related with the silicone. Consequently silicone do not cause rheumatoid arthritis and the other autoimmune diseases.
Whether the implants can cause depression or not is a concern of many candidates. Implants alone do not cause depression. However consequences of the procedure may cause depression indirectly. Namely, just after surgery, because of the swelling, the shape and size may look different than their actual shape and size. Such an unexpected appearance may cause temporary depression. Or, the outcome of the surgery may not satisfy the patient. This may be another cause of a depression.
Some patients claim that breast implants cause shortness of breath and make them tired. In the first days after procedure, increased chest volume makes the tissue tighten. Each taken breath expands the chest and makes the tissue tighter which may cause pain increment during breathtaking. Hence, patients tend to take short breaths unconsciously. This may also cause the patient to feel tired. However, as the pain reduces day by day, breathtaking returns to normal.
Another concern is that of whether breast implants can cause weight gain or weight loss. Indisputably, they cause neither weight gain nor weight loss. Sportive exercises, nutritional and hormonal factors can affect weight alteration only.
Can you get breast cancer from breast implants?
There is no relation between the breast implants and breast cancer or lung cancer. The fact that the silicone does not cause breast cancer has been proven scientifically, and it does not increase the cancer risk. Also, it does not prevent cancer. However cancer may catch any women who underwent surgery likewise the women who have not any surgery.
You can check yourself as palpating periodically. Cancer shows itself like an unusual mass when you touch. Yet, it may be harder to detect with silicone. Sometimes discoloration of the skin, irregularities on the skin surface, retraction of the skin or nipple, fluid leakage from the nipple may be a sign of cancer.
If you have any suspicious swelling, mass or other signs, mammography helps for diagnosis. In some cases, mammographic appearance of the implant may make difficulties for diagnosis. However magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique can easily diagnose without any difficulty even the mass is very little.
It is fact that silicon does not cause breast cancer. However anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) cases have been reported in recent years. Now here, I underline that ALCL is not a breast cancer. Well…
What is anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)?
ALCL is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, namely, a scarce immune system cancer. The incidence of ALCL is very rare. Reports from different countries reveal the incidence varies between one in 3,800 and one in 30,000 cases. In almost all reported ALCL cases, textured surface implants were present. According to this data, smooth surface implants seem innocent. Bacterial colonization on the textured surface is the most probable cause of ALCL. However the real reason of ALCL is still unclear. Signs and symptoms of ALCL are scar tissue formation surrounding the silicone and fluid accumulation in the space. Histopathological investigation as taking tissue sample is necessary to diagnose ALCL.
For FDA report of ALCL, click on: Questions and Answers about Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)
According to recent researches, it is detected that ALCL had mostly arisen from the BIOCELL® type implants branded Allergan. Therewith, Allergan voluntarily recalled BIOCELL® textured breast implants and tissue expanders.
What is the safest breast implant?
In rare cases, textured surface silicone may cause ALCL. For this reason, smooth surface implants are the safest implant type. The implants predisposing the ALCL have already been recalled by the manufacturer company. Another consideration of many women is implant rupture.
What happens when breast implants rupture?
External factors may cause implant rupture. Namely, a serious trauma or any material penetrating your body may be the cause. In such cases, the content of the silicone leaks. At this point, what the implant material is, is important. Leaking breast implants are not dangerous regardless of what the material is.
Therefore the ruptured shell is removed and replaced with a new one. However, if its content is gel silicone, gelous material smears the surrounding tissue. The tissue needs to be cleared before replacing a new one. In conclusion, rupturing alone is not dangerous for your health.
For FDA standards click on: Breast Implants
What is capsular contracture?
A capsule is a formation which the human body reacts against foreign materials unrecognised by the body. It is formed around any material placed in any part of the body. It is a natural biological reaction of the human body. This is normal until now.
However, in some cases, the capsule becomes harder and begins to contract and to squeeze the silicone. This is called capsular contracture.
If it occurs, usually shows up within 6 months. Late term capsular contracture is relatively rare. The causes of the capsular contracture is controversial, however bacterial colonization on the surface may be a reason. On the other hand, it tends to occur more when the silicone is located over the breast muscle.
Massaging with your hand as squeezing the breast everyday regularly in the first six months prevents contracture of the capsule. Well, what happens if capsular contracture occurs even through massaging? In this cases, surgical relieving the capsule is necessary.
How long will my breast implants last?
Many women consider: “When should breast implants be replaced?”. This question is a common subject of rumor among the people. Some say, every 5 years, some say every 10 years. However, as a matter of fact, no need to replace them unless they are damaged or you have a disease. Of course if they are damaged or you may have an illness in the future, they should be replaced or removed permanently.
How much does it cost to get breast implants?
The costs of the cosmetic surgery in Dubai is variable, depending on the several parameters. Total cost of the surgery includes implant price, surgical expenses and surgeon/clinic fee.
Implant price
There are various brands and each brand has various model:
- In terms of surface characteristic, there are two models: Smooth surface and textured surface.
- In terms of shape, there are two models: Round shaped, anatomical shaped. While round shaped implants look like hemisphere on the horizontal position, anatomical shaped implants look like tear drops. Each model has also subtypes according to their projection: low profile, medium profile and high profile.
In brief, since the models have a wide variety, the prices also vary in a wide range.
Surgical expenses
Surgical expenses include blood tests, anaesthesia fee, medicines, surgical consumables, hospitalization etc. which influence the total cost.
Clinic or surgeon fee
Each surgeon evaluates the price of his or her labor individually.
Since all parameters are pretty variable, the total cost of the surgery depends on your surgeon and implant selection. You will be informed about the total cost during the consultation.
Useful links:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30855390
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30197066
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It’s hard to find knowledgeable people for this subject, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks