The surgery to change breast prostheses is a surgery that is performed on people previously operated on for breast augmentation surgery. It is a reoperation in which the prostheses are removed and they are replaced by new breast prostheses, in general as long as the person wants to continue conserving the breast augmentation achieved with the first breast implant surgery, while in a minority there are people who decide to remove the prostheses (removal of breast prostheses) and not replacing new prostheses.

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This recovery consists of removing the prostheses and placing new prostheses. Often the replacement involves extra work to resect the capsule (s) formed by the body (encapsulation of the prosthesis) and to make new pockets in the tissues to house the new prostheses.

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Replacement of the prosthesis may be necessary for:

• Change for bigger size or shape

• Capsular contracture

• Prosthetic rupture

 

What can i expect

In cases 1 and 3, the same pocket can be used, so surgery is short-lived, there is almost no postoperative pain, and recovery is quick in terms of inflammation and postoperative pain. When the prosthetic size is increased, the anterior pocket may need to be enlarged through a cut in the capsule called a CAPSULOTOMY. In case 2, it is assumed that there is a thick capsule that compresses the prosthesis, therefore a CAPSULECTOMY or total extraction is planned. If the pocket was retroglandular (in front of the muscle), it is convenient to make a new retromuscular pocket (behind the muscle) to ensure the lowest probability of repeating capsular contracture. In this case, removing the capsule requires more surgical time and more bleeding from the area. Therefore, in the postoperative period there will be perhaps a little more edema and pain than when placing the prosthesis for the first time in a retromuscular pocket. The drains may need to stay for more days.

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