Growing number of patients want to remove silicone implants

Patients want to remove silicone implants

A surgery that is gaining prominence in plastic surgeons' offices is explantation, a procedure that removes silicone implants. It can be performed for aesthetic reasons or complications, which have been more commonly reported by patients seeking explantation.

Silicone illness and ASIA syndrome are increasingly gaining prominence. It is true that plastic surgery brings many benefits, including improved self-esteem, but the risks involved should not be overshadowed.

Silicone illness is a generic term that can encompass complications related to the implant. However, many associate it only with silicone toxicity, which leaks from the implant without it being ruptured. This situation is called bleeding.

It is important to remember that a capsule commonly forms around any implanted material. In the case of breast implants, this capsule can become hardened, with visible deformity and even cause pain. Although rare, there is a lymphoma related to breast implants, and in this case, surgery to remove the implant is indicated. The prosthesis must be removed en bloc, meaning the intact implant within its capsule.

Ruptured implants may have silicone migrated to the axillary lymph nodes, causing pain, discomfort, and even impairing lymphatic drainage of the breast and arms.

In the case of ASIA syndrome, the silicone implant acts as a trigger to develop symptoms similar to those of rheumatological diseases such as joint pain throughout the body, fatigue, sleep disturbances, hair loss, dry eyes, and dry mouth.

To place a breast implant, the surgeon must be honest with the patient, explaining all these risks, and the patient needs to have the maturity to consider the existing benefits and risks in this choice. Therefore, before surgery, it is important to discuss all doubts with the doctor. Trust between doctor and patient is fundamental in this decision.

Breast Augmentation - In addition to the importance of breastfeeding, breasts are a symbol of female sensuality and, therefore, play an important role in body aesthetics, quality of life, and women's self-esteem.

Breast augmentation with silicone implants is one of the most performed plastic surgeries in the world, and generally, it is younger women who seek the procedure.

Among the main doubts that the patient should clarify during the pre-surgery consultation is the size of the implant. The choice of volume should not be trivialized and many pieces of information should be taken into account, such as chest diameter, breast shape, skin elasticity, and the patient's desire.

Exaggerated volumes, according to the specialist, increase the risks of surgical complication and dissatisfaction, which range from skin changes with stretch marks, configurations with implant positioning, difficulty healing, and implant exposure.

 

*Dr. Fernando Amato is a plastic surgeon, a full member of the Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica, a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

 

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Playlist

8 Videos

Breast Explantation and Reconstruction

3:09

Breast explantation

2:57

Lipolaser and fat grafting

2:58

Have you heard of ASIA Syndrome?

4:38

What is Silicone Illness?

5:03

Breast Reconstruction: plastic surgery

2:59

Breast Implant: when to replace?

2:05

Questions about Breast Surgery?

5:30