Preventing and Treating Capsular Contracture

Preventing and Treating Capsular Contracture

After a woman has breast implants, there is a chance scar tissue could form around the implants. This may make the breasts look or feel unusual. It could also cause discomfort that results from the tightening of the capsule. This condition is known as capsular contracture. It could form in one woman but not another. In some situations, a breast may harden and the other does not. There are certain techniques that have been developed to decrease a patient’s risk of developing capsular contracture.

Post Surgery Classification

After a woman has breast implant surgery, the surgeon will examine the breasts for any signs of capsular contracture developing. This examination will determine the texture of each breast on a scale from 1 to 4. With grade 1 the breast is soft and appears normal. Grade 2 means the breast softness is less, and the implant is able to be palpated. Grade 3 indicates the breast is firm. The implant is able to be palpated easily. This may come with a shape distortion of the breast. With Grade 4 the breast is hard, painful and tender to the touch. The shape distortion is distinct and very noticeable.

Preventing and Treating Capsular Contracture

Massaging

Some surgeons believe that massaging the breast after implant surgery may or may not keep capsular contracture from forming. Many believe that massaging the breasts after surgery can help keep them soft. It does reduce swelling and can help a patient feel more comfortable.

Breast Implant Placement

Some experts believe that breast implant placement could prevent capsular contracture. Under the muscle, it could reduce the chances of developing it by up to 12 percent during a woman’s life. Over the muscle increases the chances up to 18 percent. Completely under the muscle could reduce the chance of a woman developing capsular contracture during her life down to 8 percent.

Textured Implants

One method that has been effective in reducing chances of capsular contracture is the use of textured implants. It is understood the rough surface of these implants may help prevent the development of hard scar tissue around this implant. This has shown to be most effective with breast augmentations above the muscle or subglandular. The majority of breast implants today are put completely behind the chest wall muscle. Using textured implants does cause the textural process to have a thicker wall. Textured implants are only used when appropriate.

Zafirlukast

When this medication has been taken two times a day for a period of 90 days, the scar tissue around implants have been softened around 50 percent of the time. Many surgeons will recommend a woman take zafirlukast before having any type of surgical intervention to correct the problem. A woman may be advised by their doctor to take zafirlukast two weeks prior to their breast implant surgery. It may then be recommended the patient take it up to three months after the surgery.

Capsulectomy

One of the most common methods for correcting capsular contracture is a surgical procedure known as capsulectomy. This is when a surgeon will remove all of the thickened capsule that is around a woman’s breast implant. This is done when there is a concern of the scar tissue growing to a point where it could break the implants. The problem with this procedure is that chances of the problem returning is increased. After this surgery, a woman will have to wear a specially designed bra for a few weeks.

Comments are closed.