The Drs: Complications From Breast Augmentation
One woman turned to The Doctors in hopes of getting help after her breast implant deflated, resulting in severe pain. (flickr)
The Doctors reported that breast augmentations are the most popular cosmetic surgery available in the U.S., with nearly 290,000 people estimated to enhance their breasts this year alone. But for one woman named Darlene, painful complications arose years after surgery. Darlene shared that eight years ago she decided to get breast implants because she was very self-conscious of her breasts after her twins were born. She was happy with the results and felt that her body looked much more proportionate.
The Drs: Deflated Breast Implant
About two years ago, she was watching TV when all of the sudden she got a full sensation on the left side of her breast, and felt as if water was oozing into her body. As she was sitting there, she could see her breast deflating and getting smaller like a balloon. A week after it deflated, she felt a very intense pinching feeling on her left breast that would not subside. She called the office where she got the surgery and was told she had no other option but to take the implant out.
The Doctor who did the originally surgery told her she would have to pay for it, but she couldn’t afford it. Her general practitioner didn’t offer any real solutions, so she’s been living in pain for two and a half years because her health insurance won’t even cover anything to help her with pain management. Now, her arm has begun hurting and it’s gotten so bad that she even considered taking the implant out herself.
The Drs: Pain From Deflated Breast Implant & Scar Tissue
Th Doctors sent Darlene to see plastic surgeon Dr Gary Motykie, who explained that the pocket that was once filled with an implant has likely begun to implode like a vacuum, causing the implant to fold, creating sharp edges. Also, the implant can be pulling on nerves and scar tissue, so if you don’t take the implant out, the pain will only continue.
Dr Motykie looked at Darlene and said he could definitely see where the implant was deflated, and it was likely that Darlene had scar tissue on the implant in her other breast, which means she was at risk for another rupture in the future. He asked Darlene to get her old medical records so that he could find out specifics about the implants and go from there.
The Drs: Fix For Deflated Breast Implant
The Doctors were joined by Darlene and Dr Motykie. Dr Motykie explained that a deflation itself doesn’t typically cause pain, and is usually caused a silent leak. He said it was likely that Darlene is experiencing pain because of her scar tissue, rather than the leaking itself. Dr Motykie said they don’t know whether the pain will subside through surgery until they get in there, but it’s the right thing to do.
The Doctors then shared that the surgery can obviously be expensive, and Dr Motykie shared that if he gets the records from Darlene’s past surgery, and everything works out, he would perform the surgery for her for free.
Would you still consider undergoing a breast augmentation after hearing about a complication like Darlene’s?
Leave a Reply