Breast Augmentation and the Risks

In 2003 there were 364,610 breast augmentation procedures. As the amount of breast augmentations are increasing each year, women are looking to better their appearances. Women are choosing between two types of implants and those are saline or silicone. Saline implants are known to rupture and the body then easily dissolves the saline. The saline can more than likely show ripples through the skin. Saline is a salt solution.

Most women today prefer saline implants because if rupture occurs it will only release salt water through the body. If silicone ruptures it releases a gel through the body and can be harmful. If an implant ruptures, surgery is required to remove or replace the implant. The implant is a foreign object; the body can form scar tissue around it. This can cause hardening of the breast tissue and may also change the shape of the breast.

Some women can end up having nerve damage, loss of feeling in the nipples. Women with breast implants and who have a mammogram; it makes it harder to detect the cancer if one should have it. During a mammogram there is a chance of rupture due to squeezing or compressing the breast during the mammogram exam. Most women with breast implants cannot breast feed.

If you are a woman with breast implants and you have an appointment for a mammogram, it is best to ask for a diagnostic or comprehensive mammography. It is to your best interest not to have a regular mammography. The implant can hide the signs of cancer in the breast, making it harder to detect. There is also a chance with calcium and scarring in the tissue around the implant can mimic cancer.

A woman with breast implants should still do her regular breast exam by asking her doctor the best way to do this. By doing so, this will help you to detect lumps in the breast and be able to differentiate the tissue in your breast from the breast implant. Women who should not have a breast implant are women with cancer, women who have infection in their body, and women who are pregnant or nursing.

There are four ways to insert the implant: through the armpit, navel, and nipple or under the breast. If you are planning on having a breast augmentation, it is best you do some research to find out which surgery is best for you. Once you have chosen a doctor, make sure your doctor has done these procedures many times. It would be best if you could talk to one of his patients he has done the surgery on and get their opinion on how he was as a surgeon and anything negative that may have happen.

It is important to know that if you already have the implants and you are planning on getting pregnant, the implant will not stop sagging of the breast. The implant is usually not a lifetime thing, you will later in life have to have the implants removed or replaced. If your insurance has or is going to pay for this surgery due to a medical condition or something else, be sure to find out if your insurance will also cover problems that may occur later with the breast augmentation.