Breast Augmentation Complication Photos

Sometimes seeing is believing. Your surgeon may inform you of the breast augmentation risks, and without seeing actual photos, it is easy to quickly dismiss the warnings. Below are breast augmentation photos of real patients that have been through complications associated with the procedure. Your surgeon may have more information and breast augmentation before & after photos for you to view.

Capsular contracture occurs when the scar tissue or capsule that normally forms around the implant tightens and squeezes the implant. It may be more common following infection, hematoma (collection of blood), and seroma (collection of watery portion of blood). There are four grades of capsular contracture - Baker Grades I through IV.

When silicone gel-filled implants rupture, some women may notice decreased breast size, nodules (hard knots), uneven appearance of the breasts, pain or tenderness, tingling, swelling, numbness, burning, or changes in sensation. Other women may unknowingly experience a rupture without any symptoms (i.e., "silent rupture"). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with equipment specifically designed for imaging the breast may be used for evaluating patients with suspected rupture or leakage of their silicone gel-filled implant. Plastic surgeons usually recommend removal of the implant if it has ruptured, even if the silicone is still enclosed within the scar tissue capsule, because the silicone gel may eventually leak into surrounding tissues. When saline-filled breast implants deflate, the saline solution leaks either through an unsealed or damaged valve or through a break in the implant shell. Implant deflation can occur immediately or progressively over a period of days and is noticed by loss of size or shape of the implant. Some implants deflate or rupture within the first few months after being implanted and some deflate after several years. Breast implants also wear out over time and may deflate. Additional surgery is needed to remove deflated implants.

There is a high chance that women with breast implants will need additional surgery at some point to replace or remove her implant(s) due to problems such as deflation, capsular contracture, infection, shifting, and calcium deposits. Many women decide to have the implants replaced, but some women do not. Those who do not have their implants replaced may have cosmetically undesirable dimpling and/or puckering of the breast following removal of the implant. Patients with large implants, particularly those inserted subglandularly (on top of the muscle and under the breast glands), will have a major cosmetic deformity if they choose not to replace them or to undergo additional reconstructive surgery.