Complications following breast augmentation are rare and board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jon Harrell takes every care to help further reduce your risks. However, rare does not mean impossible, making it important to know the signs of potential complications.
Before your breast augmentation procedure, Dr. Harrell will discuss all potential risks and complications in full. If you begin to experience complications following your procedure, you should inform Dr. Harrell immediately to ensure your safety, comfort, and ultimate satisfaction. For questions about risks involved with the procedure and how our Board-certified plastic surgeon will take every precaution to avoid them, please call our Miami area office at (954) 526-0066 today.
Early Complications
Complications that can occur in the days or weeks following breast augmentation include:
- Infection – signs of infections may include pain, redness or swelling, elevated temperature around your incisions, or general fever. Infection is most often treated with oral antibiotics
- Seroma (fluid accumulation) and hematoma (blood accumulation) – signs of both of these conditions include significant pain that does not respond to pain medications. Both of these conditions may be treated through fluid extraction with a needle or tubes placed underneath the breasts
- Wound separation – this condition occurs when your incisions separate to reveal the edges of your implants. Wound separation can often be treated by closing the incisions with Steri-strips
- Hypertrophic scarring – thick, raised, red scars are the sign of this complication. Steroid injections or scar revision procedures are common treatments
Later Complications
Complications that can occur in the months or years following breast augmentation include:
- Capsular contracture – the forming of a scar around the implant that can change the implant’s shape, result in breast hardening, or cause significant pain. Capsular contracture is treated through breast implant revision surgery
- Asymmetry or contour irregularities – changes to the size, shape, or symmetry of your breasts can be caused by myriad factors. These issues are often only treatable through revision surgery
- Implant failure – breast implant rupture or changes in the texture of your implant can be noticed both visually and through touch. These issues require a removal and replacement of your breast implant
Some of your Miami breast augmentation options will lower your risk for capsular contracture and certain implant failures. Dr. Harrell will discuss these with you during your initial breast augmentation consultation.
If you live in the Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Plantation or Davie areas of Florida and would like to learn more about the risks and benefits of breast augmentation, please contact The Weston Center for Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery online or call (954) 526-0066 to schedule an initial consultation today.