Breast implants are arguably the most studied medical device in the world.
Seattle Plastic Surgeon discusses the breast implant revision.
Last weekend I gave a presentation on Breast Implant Revision at the annual meeting of the Washington Society of Plastic Surgeons. This is a topic I present frequently.
About 15 years ago, several well established and very busy plastic surgeons in Seattle retired and I started seeing a lot of their patients with old implants that needed attention. Now that I have been in practice almost 20 years, I am starting to see my own patients whose older implants need attention. Between their patients and my own, I do a lot of breat implant revision, removal and replacement surgery. Hence my interest and experience.
My presentation turned out to be very timely because on June 22nd, the FDA issued their lastest report on breast implant follow-up. Despite some sobering statistics on the incidence of reoperation after breast augmentation, the FDA still concludes that breast implants are safe and effective.
Reading this report really drives home several points about breast implants:
- Breast implants don’t last forever.
- Most breast implant patients will need reoperation.
- The older the implants, the more likely the need for reoperation.
- Long term follow-up in breast implant patients is very difficult of obtain. This is a highly mobile and highly private patient population.
SOOOO – my conclusion about breast implants remains unchanged. It’s a great operation for the flat chested woman (patient satisfaction rate is very, very high) but it is not a perfect operation.
Thanks for reading! Lisa Lynn Sowder
@lisalynnsowder
