What is a “capsular contracture” and how can I prevent it fr
About 20 percent of women will form a capsule around their breast implant. But this can be
prevented.
Since your breast implant is considered a foreign object by your body, it naturally forms
a lining of scar tissue around this object. The scar becomes more fibrous and tightens
around the implant. This is called capsule formation. As it tightens and squeezes the
implant, the implant becomes hard, painful and has a ball-like appearance. In order to fix
this problem an open capsulotomy needs to be performed surgically. In this procedure the
surgeon will enter pocket and score or cut the scar tissue (capsulotomy). He may remove
the scar tissue (capsulectomy) completely. The capsulectomy is very effective at restoring
the shape and softness of the breast.
How do we try and prevent this capsule from occurring? First the capsule is largely
prevented by placing the implant under the muscle. Secondly, capsules are prevented by
doing postoperative massaging of your breasts. We will discuss and demonstrate how to
massage your breasts and implants about 10-14 days after surgery. We recommend massaging
your breasts every day in the shower to prevent this from occurring. Frankly most women
we'll never get a capsular contracture of the breast even if they do not massage their
breasts. But you will not know if you are prone to capsules until you have one. As a
result we recommend that all women aggressively massage their breast each morning to
stretch the scar and fight the natural tendency of the scar that your body forms around
your breast from contracting into a tight capsule. We will counsel you on these
techniques.
