Breast Revision | Restorative Surgery
placeholder
placeholder
Whether you have had prior surgery or not, your breast appearance will change with time. Life events such as pregnancy or weight change, overall breast weight, age-related tissue changes, or prior surgery all play a factor in how the breast is positioned on the chest wall. Patients who have undergone prior cosmetic breast surgery may wish to seek an opinion for our Surrey breast revision.
Women also vary in how their tissues heal and settle with time. For example, in a Breast Reduction or Breast Lift, the breast will settle with gravity and descend with time. Some patients may experience more descent than others. One side may settle subtly different than the other. The vertical pull of breast tissues can also influence final areola and scar shape. Weight changes can add or remove volume from the breast and can have associated changes in the skin enveloping the breast. You could have experienced an infection, wound healing issue, fat necrosis, or other complication that has influenced your final cosmetic result.
In the setting of a prior breast augmentation with an implant, some patients can develop a tight scar capsule around the implant, the implant may have migrated, or you may have identified an implant rupture. Your implant may be in reasonable position, but the native breast gland has descended with time over the implant. These and other events can contribute to a difference in appearance between left and right, or overall result. Breast revisions aim to revise or ‘update’ a prior surgical result with the goal of restoring natural shape and contour.
In some extreme cases that develop over time, it can be particularly difficult to achieve a symmetric result, and more modest goals may be sought to minimize significant aesthetic deformity. Techniques to accomplish these goals are drawn from reconstructive breast surgery. Perfect restoration is always the primary goal, but it is not always possible. Dr. Ratanshi regularly performs breast restorative surgery and reconstructive surgery as part of his practice. In particular, he maintains a significant breast cancer reconstructive practice. Breast deformities addressed vary from simple scar revisions to more complex cases of asymmetry.
Breast appearance and healing varies from person to person. During your consultation for your breast revision Surrey plastic surgeon, Dr. Imran Ratanshi, will review your specific concerns and tailor a treatment plan that works best for you. For more complex concerns, multiple visits may be required to devise an appropriate restorative plan. Techniques required may involve any combination of exchanging your implant for an updated one or removal (where an implant is present), Breast Lift, Breast Reduction, areolar modification or reconstruction, capsule removal or modification, fat grafting, and the use of acellular dermal matrix or other supportive material. In advanced cases, procedures may be staged over multiple surgeries, or more advanced reconstructive techniques may be required. The time and cost required for breast revision surgery depends on the degree of complexity involved. Minor concerns, such as scar revisions, may be addressed under local anesthesia.
More sophisticated reconstructions techniques require additional expertise, surgical skill and time. These are performed under general anesthesia and can range from 1 to 4 hours. Most breast revision surgery is performed in a surgical facility or hospital under general anesthesia. A board-certified anesthesiologist will provide your anesthesia and will discuss your anesthesia plan with you the day of surgery. Once you are asleep, additional local freezing is routinely placed in all incisions to maximize comfort after surgery. Your identified concerns will be addressed through planned incisions, and all incisions are closed in layers using self-dissolving stitches. You may have surgical tapes on your incisions, along with bulky gauze and a supportive garment to support healing. Aftercare instructions and follow-up appointments will be provided by Dr. Ratanshi and his nurse the day of surgery.
Drains may be placed at the time of surgery and are removed at 1-2 weeks, if not earlier. You can expect early bruising, which takes one to two weeks to settle. Most early swelling resolves between 4 to 6 weeks with the remainder settling at 3-6 months. You can expect your final result after breast revision surgery in 6-12 months.
Dr. Ratanshi will aim to use your prior scars. In patients who have limited scars from previous surgery, extending your prior incision or using an additional incision may be required. The extent of surgical exposure required will depend on the degree of complexity and what needs to be corrected. Dr. Ratanshi will make every effort to address your concerns using the smallest scar possible. To address moderate to complex concerns, patients will typically have a scar on the outer border of the areola (if areolar revision is required) and extends below the breast like an ‘anchor’ or ‘upside down T”.
Frequently Combined with Breast Revision | Restorative Surgery
Breast revision surgery requires a general anesthetic. It is important to note that breast revisions carry a higher risk of needing further surgery than patients who have not had prior breast surgery.
Additional risks you should be aware of include but are not limited to:
If an implant is placed, additional risks you should be aware of include but are not limited to:
You may have to wear a supportive, non-underwire bra for 6-8 weeks after surgery. Patients should avoid heavy lifting (> 10 lbs) for 4-6 weeks. You can get the area wet in the shower after 5 days. If drains are placed, you can shower 48 hours after drain removal.
Starting at $12,500 + GST
Costs vary depending on the complexity of your presenting concern and the techniques, skill, and time required to address them.
Breast Revision Surgery to address results of a prior cosmetic breast surgery is NOT a benefit of the British Columbia Medical Services Plan. In cases where a prior breast reduction was performed, concerns that are cosmetic in nature may also not be a benefit of MSP. Dr. Ratanshi has partnered with Beautifi and iFinance Canada to provide financing options for patients looking to pursue Breast Revision | Restorative Surgery.
You may require a drain if a capsulectomy is required or your surgery is more involved.
While Plastic Surgeons strive for perfect symmetry, it is impossible to make both breasts exactly the same. Prior surgery makes this more difficult. This is because the natural breast footprint and the chest wall in most women can vary slightly from right to left. The degree of deformity present prior to surgery is also an influence on longevity of results. Pre-operative measurements and markings help surgeons get as close as possible. For this reason, you may hear your surgeon say that a reasonable goal is to create ‘sisters, but not twins’.
For women of child-bearing age who undergo breast surgery, your capacity to produce milk after childbearing can be affected. You may need to supplement with formula. Breast revision surgery may necessitate removal or re-arrangement of some glandular tissue that produces milk. Less gland means less milk. Breast revision surgery may also interfere with the ducts that carry milk, affecting overall production. Some women may experience numbness or loss of erectile function to the nipple which can affect infant latch.
Dr. Ratanshi typically requests that a mammogram be completed on any patient undergoing breast surgery above the age of 40 if not otherwise completed within the past 2 years. This may be organized for patients below the age of 40 who advise of a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer and who wish to pursue a breast revision.
Dr. Ratanshi prioritizes patient safety and satisfaction above all. He is a double subspecialty-trained Plastic Surgeon and regularly performs aesthetic and reconstructive breast and body surgery as part of his practice. Dr. Ratanshi aims to utilize the latest evidence-based techniques and technology to deliver exceptional results. Dr. Ratanshi is committed to making your journey to enhanced beauty as comfortable and rewarding as possible.
