Why do implants get hard?

A breast implant that is hard, painful, rippled and high riding is a sign of capsular contracture. Early capsular contracture (within 3 years of placement) can also be related to bleeding and low-grade infection around the implant.

How can I soften my breast implants?

To help the softening process, Dr. Ellsworth recommends that patients carefully massage the breasts several times every day. Not only will this help your implants relax into ideal position, but it can also aid in preventing complications during breast implant recovery.

Can a breast implant get hard?

No, breast implants do not always harden over time. Instead, this hardening of the implants is a condition known as “capsular contracture.” This condition is a complication that is possible after any breast augmentation surgery, but it's not very common.

How do you get rid of capsular contracture?

The only effective treatment for capsular contracture is currently capsulotomy or capsulectomy with implant removal or a change in the plane of insertion.

Are implants supposed to feel hard?

When you first wake up from your breast implants surgery, your new breasts will likely be high up on your chest and feel hard to the touch. Don't be alarmed; this is completely normal, and your newly augmented breasts will eventually settle and soften, typically within 6 months.

What will my breasts feel like after a breast augmentation

What are the early signs of capsular contracture?

Why do my breast implants feel harder than the other?

Almost always, hardness in one breast implant, is likely to be capsular contracture. All implants in the body form a layer of scar tissue around them (a capsule) and with time, this scar can misbehave or tighten up, and this is called capsular contracture.

How long can you live with capsular contracture?

The symptoms are tightness and the feeling of something hard on the chest that can feel hard when you lay on it. Sometimes, there is continuous discomfort. Short of this, many women have lived for 20-30 years with a contracture.

Can you massage capsular contracture away?

One of the most efficient ways to help reduce your risk and possibly even reverse capsular contracture is daily breast massage. You should massage your breasts for 5 minutes two to three times a day during the first two months after surgery.

How do you fix capsular contracture without surgery?

There are no non-surgical remedies for capsular contracture. Performing a total en bloc capsulectomy via an inframammary incision, and delivering a textured implant using an implant delivery funnel can reduce your risk significantly for recurrence.

How long will my implants be hard?

The softening process is referred to as “fluffing”, and can last anywhere from eight weeks to six months. If your breasts feel hard longer than six months, see your plastic surgeon. Postoperative swelling contributes to the firmness of newly-placed breast implants, as does their placement.

Can capsular contracture be left untreated?

If left untreated, capsular contracture can become apparent even to the casual observer. This is usually the point at which the condition becomes especially painful and tends to be the point at which patients are finally compelled to seek medical attention if they have not already done so.

What happens when breast implants calcify?

Calcification. Calcium deposits can form in the scar tissue surrounding the implant and may cause pain, firmness, and be visible on mammography. These deposits must be identified as different from calcium deposits that are a sign of breast cancer.

How soon can capsular contracture occur?

Capsular contracture can occur as soon as 4-6 weeks after surgery and is uncommon to begin developing later than six months after surgery unless some sort of trauma has occurred to the augmented breast.

What happens if you don't massage your breast implants?

Massaging your breasts at regular intervals can prevent the onset of capsular contracture. Although rare, the post-surgical complication causes the soft tissue that surrounds the implants to harden and tighten. Many patients with this complication find that their breasts become painful to touch.

Does Vitamin E help with capsular contracture?

Vitamin E appears to be a safe, simple, and inexpensive means of reducing the number of postoperative capsular contractures following breast augmentation.

How do I know if my breast implant is encapsulated?

What increases risk of capsular contracture?

Some of the other factors that may raise the risk of capsular contracture include rupture of an implant, hematoma (a build-up of blood where tissue was removed during surgery), developing a microbial biofilm (subclinical infection) on an implant, and a genetic predisposition to forming scars.

Does compression help capsular contracture?

Fortunately, there are techniques that many plastic surgeons recommend to help prevent the development of capsular contracture, including use of compression garments to flatten the implant, or daily massages of the breast.

Does exercise cause capsular contracture?

Some surgeons or medical professionals recommend additional techniques for minimizing your risk of getting capsular contracture: Avoid vigorous activity for the first several weeks of your recovery. Strenuous exercise can increase your blood pressure, raise your heart rate and cause bleeding around your new implants.

What does a capsular contracture look like?

Signs and Symptoms

The primary indication of capsular contracture is an increasing tightness of the breast. The breast implants seem to be high-riding on the chest, much more than earlier. The breast implant is distorted and may appear round or “ball-like.” Noticeable rippling may occur as well.

Does capsular contracture get worse over time?

If you suspect you may have a case of capsular contracture, talk to your plastic surgeon. Capsular contracture doesn't get better over time – it can get worse.

Can early capsular contracture be reversed?

Because capsular contracture is highly treatable, you shouldn't let a fear of developing this condition hold you back from getting breast augmentation surgery.

Why do my implants feel tight?

It takes time for muscle, breast tissue, and skin to adjust to your implants; until these tissues have healed sufficiently, you can expect to feel (possibly intense) tightness in the chest area, particularly if your implants are placed beneath the muscle.

Should calcified breast implants be removed?

This condition may mask calcifications of the breast due to carcinoma, and it often exacerbates the symptoms of capsular contracture. We recommend removal of the calcified capsules and replacement of the implants in the submuscular position.