Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical you'd like answered from our surgical team? Just ask!
This week, James E. Craigie, MD, of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your question.
Question: I have implants over the muscle. One has extreme scar tissue around it that has made it hard and very painful. If I remove them and go under the muscle, is there less chance that this will happen again, and would I need a mesh material to have that procedure performed?
Answer: Thank you for your question. I am thinking that your implants were placed for breast augmentation, please correct me if I'm wrong. In general releasing the scar and repositioning the implants under the muscle may help the problem. Placing the implant under the muscle mainly provides more of your own tissue to cover the implant, which can be helpful for some people. Unfortunately it does not guarantee the problem wont recur. Depending on the cause of the problem this approach may be successful 50% of the time. The use of any type of mesh is not a recommended treatment specifically for scarring around an implant but there are some types of mesh like materials that can help for other types of implant problems. I would need more information about your situation to be more specific. Let me know if you would like to give me some more details. Thanks again.