January 6th, 2012
While breast implants do not come with an expiration date, they will also not last forever.
The lifespan of breast implants varies based on a number of individual factors, although many reports indicate that breast implants can last between 11 and 15 years without requiring replacement. Following your breast augmentation with Jacksonville, Florida, plastic surgeon Dr. Akit Desai, we will stay in touch regarding your condition and be happy to answer your questions should you have any concerns.
Although many women have reported maintaining healthy breast implants for upward of 20 years without complications or the need for revision, regular check-ups are recommended after you have undergone breast augmentation to monitor the position of the breast implants and ensure they remain intact.
At a certain point, the potential need for breast implant replacement increases. Revision procedures commonly focus on:
- Changes related to aging that affect your breast implants, such as sagging breasts
- Eventual rippling, wrinkling or folding of your breast implants, which occurs more frequently with saline breast implants
- Breast implant rupture, which is more common with saline breast implants
- Hardening of the breast or capsular contracture
If you live in the Jacksonville, Florida, area and would like to learn more about breast augmentation and breast implant options, please contact the Desai Center of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery to schedule your consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ankit Desai.
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December 6th, 2011
One of the decisions you will make with Dr. Desai before your breast augmentation is where to make the incision for your breast implants. Each incision option comes with certain advantages and disadvantages that will vary depending on your individual needs.
In general, however, there are four main breast augmentation incision options:
- Around the areola (nipple) – Also known as a “peri-areolar” incision, this incision is made in a half-circle at the outer edge of your areola. Peri-areolar incisions often result in stronger cleavage and a better overall symmetry, as well as better control of bleeding during surgery.
- In the armpit – Also known as a “trans-axillary” incision, the scar from this incision type has the potential to be more prominent, especially when you are wearing sleeveless tops. Since the incision site is far from your breasts, this method can also result in less precision, leading to wider cleavage. Some patients are also prone to a higher risk of bleeding.
- Underneath the breast – This incision is made in the inframammary fold of your breast, allowing Dr. Desai greater control over the implant’s position. The final scar is not usually prominent, and can easily be concealed by bras and clothing.
- Trans-umbilical – Also known as a “TUBA” incision, this option involves making a tiny, inch-long incision at the edge of your belly button. A long metallic tube is then placed through the incision, pushing the breast implants up to their final position. Again, since this incision point is farther from your breasts, it allows for less control and can lead to other complications, such as skin irregularities. However, it also incurs far less bleeding.
During a personal consultation, Dr. Desai can discuss each incision option with you and recommend the one he thinks is best for your situation. The final decision will be up to you.
If you have further questions about breast augmentation incisions, please contact board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ankit Desai today to schedule an initial consultation. Our practice serves patients in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida.
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November 27th, 2011
We are proud to be a high volume diep flap center in the United States. The DIEP flap uses your own abdominal skin and fat while preserving your abdominal muscles. The study linked below demonstrates women undergoing DIEP flap breast reconstruction have improvement in their quality of life as soon as 3 weeks. Click here to read the mentioned study. Call our office to schedule your consultation with one of our plastic surgeons to see if DIEP flap reconstruction is right for you.
Tags: diep flaps
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November 26th, 2011
Our Jacksonville Breast Reconstruction specialists have offered this procedure
to women without multifocal breast cancer with small and medium sized breasts. The results can truly be amazing. Read the article below.
Click here to read the article in ABC news about nipple sparing mastectomy. We are proud to work with the few general surgeons who offer this option to appropriate candidates. To learn more, contact out Jacksonville plastic surgery team at 904-262-3372.
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November 26th, 2011
Our Jacksonville breast reconstruction practice continues to offer the latest in reconstructive options. Please read this excerpt from the breast journal.
The study by Nedumpara et al is an important contribution. They describe oncologic outcomes of 691 patients who underwent mastectomy over an 11 year period. With a median follow-up of 55 months, local and systemic recurrence risks and deaths were comparable in patients with and without immediate breast reconstruction. Quality-of-life comparison and surgical complications were not discussed in this study.
Over the ensuing decades, surgical techniques advanced allowing many patients to undergo skin-sparing, and more recently, nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate implant or autologous tissue reconstruction. Numerous prior studies have demonstrated comparable low recurrence risks in appropriately selected patients. Nedumpara et al’s important study adds to this literature.
There is a wide variation (15%-85%) in immediate breast reconstruction rates at hospitals nationally and internationally. The reasons for this are complex but include insurance coverage, patient education, and availability of plastic reconstructive expertise. There are clear apparent advantages to immediate reconstruction including preservation of normal breast shape with skin-sparing and nipple-sparing techniques and maintenance of normal body appearance. This can have a profound impact on breast cancer patients regaining an excellent quality of life after breast cancer treatment.
A recently published study by Heneghan et al (Eur J Surg Oncol 2011;37:937-943, PMID: 21899982) demonstrated a comparable quality of life for patients who underwent skin-sparing mastectomy with reconstruction compared with patients who had breast-conservation surgery. Measuring patient satisfaction is critical to understanding quality-of-life outcomes in addition to the usual oncologic end points. This has led to the development of the BREAST-Q patient-reported outcome measure (Plast Reconstr Surg 2009;124:345-353, PMID: 19644246).
The importance of the breast reconstruction issue resulted in the passage of a law (A10094B/S6993-B/Information and Access to Breast Reconstruction Surgery) in New York in August 2011. This law requires hospitals to inform breast cancer patients about the availability of and insurance coverage for reconstruction before they undergo mastectomy. Continued studies such as this one by Nedumpara et al will help to remove any concerns that oncology safety is a reason for a patient to not undergo immediate breast reconstruction.
Tags: jacksonville breast implants, Jacksonville Breast Reconstruction
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November 26th, 2011
Happy thanksgiving to all of our wonderful patients. Dr. Fallucco, Dr. Desai, and our Jacksonville plastic surgery staff hope you enjoy the remainder of the holiday season.
Tags: Jacksonville Plastic Surgery
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November 15th, 2011
After undergoing a mastectomy, many women find themselves in need of breast reconstruction surgery to restore the proportion and overall shape of their breasts. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. For women who are uncomfortable with the idea of using breast implants, an autologous breast reconstruction can be performed using your body’s own natural tissue.
During this type of procedure, your skin, fat, and sometimes muscle are all transferred as part of a composite flap, which Dr. Desai uses to recreate your breast mound and shape. Sometimes, nipple reconstruction can be performed in the same setting, allowing your breast to be re-created in a single surgical procedure.
Another option for breast reconstruction is the use of a perforator flap. Muscle is not transferred on a perforator flap; it is merely separated to assist in transferring the necessary blood vessels to your chest, which will provide the flap with a blood supply.
Depending on your personal needs, the most effective method of breast reconstruction can vary. If you live in St. Augustine or Jacksonville, Florida and have further questions about breast reconstruction surgery, please contact us today to schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ankit Desai.
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October 12th, 2011
Saline breast implants have been used for decades in the United States. This type of breast implant can be placed while it is empty and deflated, allowing for a smaller incision size and less scarring. Once placed, saline implants are filled with a salt water solution to match the precise breast size and volume you desire.
Because the saline solution will be harmlessly absorbed by your body in the event of a rupture, many people feel more comfortable using saline implants compared to silicone implants, which have the potential to cause more complications when they leak. Additionally, the risk of late capsular contracture is lower for saline breast implants.
However, as a drawback, saline breast implants are more susceptible to leaks and can sometimes show a “rippling” effect when placed in women with thin breast tissue, or when placed above the chest muscles (subglandular placement). Large saline breast implants are also heavier than silicone implants, leading to a higher overall rate of downward displacement.
Dr. Desai is experienced in placing saline breast implants to achieve the best possible aesthetic effect. If you have further questions about the pros and cons of saline breast implants, please contact us today to schedule a personal consultation. We serve patients in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida.
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September 26th, 2011
In 2006, silicone breast implants were approved by the FDA for use in women 22+ years old. Although saline breast implants have been in use for much longer, silicone implants are quickly growing in popularity because of their superior look and feel. When properly placed, silicone breast implants are indistinguishable from natural breast tissue, whereas saline implants can feel more unnatural and obvious to the touch.
Silicone breast implants also have a few other advantages:
- Lower rate of rippling or wrinkling
- Can be placed over the muscle (subglandular) in women with thin breast tissue without sacrificing aesthetic quality
- Silicone is lighter than saline, reducing the risk of downward displacement (“bottoming out”)
However, silicone gel implants can potentially produce a longer scar, since the implants come pre-filled from the manufacturer. Dr. Desai works to minimize this as much as possible. Additionally, since silicone implants do not deflate when they rupture, a patient’s risk of capsular contracture may be higher. To avoid this, the FDA advises women with silicone breast implants to have a MRI breast scan every two to three years after having their breast implants placed.
If you live in Jacksonville or St. Augustine, Florida and have further questions about the benefits of silicone breast implants, please contact us today to schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ankit Desai. We can help you decide on the breast implant option that is right for you.
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August 8th, 2011
Like all medical devices, breast implants do not last forever. The FDA has found that after an average of 10 years, at least one of a woman’s breast implants will have ruptured or leaked. Silicone breast implant manufacturers usually advise having silicone implants replaced after 10 years to pre-emptively address this, since removing an implant that is still intact is easier than removing a leaking implant.
However, some newer types of silicone implants that use a more highly cohesive gel (also called “gummy bear” or “form-stable” implants) can remain intact for over a decade without needing replacement. Manufacturers of these newer implants no longer recommend elective implant replacement every 10 years.
In the case of saline breast implants, there is no need to replace them if you are not showing signs of a problem. It is usually far more obvious when a saline implant has ruptured or leaked; unlike cohesive gel, the liquid salt water solution will cause a significant change in the volume of your breasts as it leaks out, becoming harmlessly absorbed by your body. If you do not notice any change in your breast size or volume, and if capsular contracture has not become an issue, your saline breast implants have virtually no expiration date.
If you have further questions about the longevity of breast implants, please contact board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ankit Desai today to schedule a personal consultation. Our practice serves patients in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida.
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