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Capsular contracture is a common risk of breast augmentation, where the body creates excessive scar tissue around the implant, making it feel unnaturally firm. Smoking, chest trauma, and infections increase the risk. Treatment options include replacement, removal of excess scar tissue, vitamin E and steroid injections, and massage.
One of the most common risks of breast augmentation is capsular contracture, which results in breasts that feel hard. This is because the body sometimes surrounds the implant with excessive scar tissue, squeezing the device and making it look and feel unnaturally firm. Although anyone can develop this unfortunate side effect of breast implants, smoking, chest trauma, and infections can increase your risk. In many cases, the implant must be removed and replaced with a new one after excess scar tissue has been removed. Newer methods, however, do not require removal of the implant, as doctors may inject vitamin E and steroids or even massage the implant to soften it.
Breast augmentation typically requires your doctor to create a pocket in the breast tissue into which to place the implant. Once the implant is inserted into the pocket, the body creates a lining of tissue around it, often called a capsule. While it is normal for the body to shrink this tissue over time, in the case of a capsular contracture, the capsule squeezes the implant too tightly. This leads to an unnaturally firm implant that can start to leak. While this problem is often accompanied by discomfort and an oddly shaped breast, it is usually not harmful to the patient.
Anyone can develop capsular contracture, but certain factors can increase the chances that some patients will suffer from the problem. Smoking, breast trauma, and infections can occur after surgery, increasing the risk of capsular contracture. Ruptured blood vessels and autoimmune diseases can also cause the lining around the implant to compress too much. Implant placement may also play a role in determining who suffers from this problem, as capsular contracture tends to occur more often in implants placed over the pectoral muscle than in those placed below it.
A simple treatment for a ruptured breast implant is replacement, as well as the removal of excess scar tissue around it. There are some alternatives, though, including vitamin E and steroid injections. Some doctors prefer to use the latest technology to fix the problem, such as sound waves which can lead to softer breasts, while others simply massage the implant until the surrounding scar tissue breaks down. While there is no foolproof way to prevent capsular contracture, the risks can be reduced by massaging the breast immediately after the augmentation, as well as occasionally squeezing the implant to prevent the lining from becoming inflexible.
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