Rupture and deflation
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
Breast implants (or breast prostheses) allow breast size to be increased during surgery for breast augmentation.
Breast implants used today in France, which are pre-filled with
silicone gel, meet specific and rigorous safety standards such as the
CE (European Community) marking standard and the authorization
standard of the AFSSAPS (French Agency for the Medical Safety of Health
Products) drawn up in 2004.
Apart from the risks related to mammoplasty surgery (anaesthesia and
surgical risks), insertion of an implant poses risks specific to the
prosthesis itself, in particular, rupture, which is especially favoured
by a strong shock (this occurs rarely), by an accidental needle
puncture injury and the age of the breast prosthesis (this is the most
common). Replacement of the breast implant then becomes mandatory.
Do not forget that the lifespan of a breast implant is impossible to
estimate and cannot, therefore, be guaranteed. Current implants
represent tremendous progress in terms of strength and reliability, the
notion that they will need to be changed after 10 years is no longer
justified.
A breast implant replacement will only be carried out when a problem occurs to justify it. .
The breast implant is made of a flexible shell, which is waterproof
and elastic and made of silicone elastomer and can be smooth or rough.
(It has a solid wall to prevent the passage of the gel to the outside).
A breast implant can lose its firmness over time with progressive wear
to the wall. The reasons for deflation of the prosthesis vary a single
area of porosity, puncture, microfissurations and sometimes real gaps.
The consequences are differing according to the different fillers:
-with saline or absorbable hydrogel, the breast implant will deflate
partially or completely. This process can be fast or slow.
-with non-absorbable silicone gel, the gel can either remain in the
envelope surrounding the breast implant, in which case, the rupture
may pass unnoticed. But the silicone gel can diffuse through the
fibrous shell causing the appearance of a reaction to the foreign body
in the form of a bump. Nodules and inflammatory lymph nodes may appear.
In all these cases, the breast implant must be surgically removed and replaced.