Your Breast Implant Revision Plastic Surgery Procedure Steps

Breast implant revision cosmetic surgery, also known as breast augmentation revision, is designed to remove or replace breast implants to address any complications or accommodate the patient’s changed aesthetic preferences.

plastic surgeon Dr. David Kim provides breast implant revision surgery to patients in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and surrounding locations.

Anesthesia

In a majority of cases, the surgeon performs the breast augmentation revision surgery with the patient under general anesthesia.

The anesthesiologist will administer either IV (intravenous) or inhaled sedatives to make the patient sleep and keep them unconscious until the revision procedure is complete. The patient will be made conscious after the breast augmentation revision procedure is over.  

Implant Replacement

The procedure to replace breast implants is not dissimilar to the original breast augmentation plastic surgery. The options for implant replacement will be established depending on the type of complications the patient has with the primary implants.

The choice between saline and silicone implants for replacement should be undertaken by the women carefully after understanding the advantages and limitations of each implant type. When replacing the breast implants, the breast surgeon will try to make use of previously made incision lines to remove the old implants as well as place the new ones.

This prevents the development of new scars in the breast area. However, if the patient requires different sized or type of implants during the replacement, the surgeon may have to form implant pockets to place the new implants. This will require the placement of new incisions.

Saline Implant Removal

A woman can typically choose to replace breast implants with new ones or remove the implants altogether and undergo a breast lift surgery to restore the natural appearance of the breasts.

In the process of removing saline implants, the breast surgeon may deflate the implant prior to removal. This will lead to the placement of smaller incisions and more convenient implant removal.

In addition to implant removal, the surgeon will also eliminate scar tissue. New implant placement or breast lift surgery will be carried out at the same time after the removal of the primary implants. The procedure will take under one hour, and the patient will be under general anesthesia or IV sedation.

Silicone Implant Removal

The plastic surgeon will check the implant manually for any signs of damage before removing it which will reduce the risk associated with the process. The removal of implants is more complex than the original breast implant surgery, especially with textured implants. The plastic surgeon may also have to eliminate the surrounding muscle and tissue in addition to the implant in some cases.

The surgeon can perform implant replacement, scar revision or breast lift right after removing the old implants. The time taken for the surgery depends on the type of procedure undertaken.

Sealing the Incisions

The surgeon will carefully suture the incisions after placing the implants. While some surgeons use traditional sutures, others use dissolvable ones.

Temporary drain tubes may be placed in the incision sites to collect excess fluid. Judicious cosmetic surgeon Dr. David Kim receives patients from Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and other neighborhoods and towns in The Golden State for breast revision surgery.