Breast augmentation can help women of all shapes and sizes feel better about their body. But whatever the reason a woman may seek this surgery, there are risks involved. Understanding these risks is key to ensuring that you take all necessary precautions and ultimately have a successful surgery.
Breast augmentation is less invasive than some surgeries, but it does introduce a foreign object—the breast implant—into the body and this increases the risk of complications.
Medical Complications
The most common complication of breast implants is capsular contraction. This occurs when scar tissue forms around the breast implant and stiffens. This squeezes the implant, and causes the breast itself to feel hard. It may also cause rippling in the surface of the implant, resulting in some rippling at the surface of the breast itself and even some pain. The only way to treat capsular contraction is additional surgery to either remove the scar tissue or replace the implant itself.
Over time, there is also the risk that the implants may break and leak. If the implant is filled with saline, there is no immediate health risk, but the implant will quickly deflate because the body will absorb the saline naturally.
If the implants are filled with silicone, a leak may not be noticeable right away. The gel will accumulate inside the breast where the implant is placed and cause no noticeable difference in the breasts.
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
Click here to read the rest of the article at HealthVideo.com
