Breast implants can last well past the predicted 10 year mark, but that does not mean that they don’t need to be replaced. Often, women will come in for a breast augmentation revision consultation because the size of their implants no long fits their lifestyle. Fashion evolves! What looked good at 20 may not longer work at 40. Furthermore, lifestyle changes such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, and weight gain/loss can take their toll on the skin and tissues of the breast.
Dr. Steven Camp of Fort Worth, TX discusses the recent trend he’s noticed in his practice towards revising, as well as some newer technologies like GalaFORM 3D that are helping craft the best revision results possible.
Age-Related Change & Breast Implants
“In my practice, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to treat lots of women looking to have improved breast shape and appearance,” says Dr. Camp. While breast augmentation surgery is still the most popular procedure in the world, there are then a lot of women who had the procedure performed 15 or more years ago now experiencing age-related change. This may entail:
- changing aesthetic
- stretched breast skin due to pregnancy and/or breast feeding
- altered breast tissue due to weight gain or loss
For some women, the issue is that they’ve grown older and wiser. With this new-found maturity, their aesthetic has changed. The breast size that they are comfortable with now is not the same as the one that they got originally. For other women, life changes such as pregnancy, weight gain/loss and age have changed the way that the breast skin looks and feels with their current implant. A breast augmentation revision is a procedure that allows women to feel comfortable in their own skin again.
Trend Toward Downsizing of Breast Implants
One of the trends that Dr. Camp has noticed in his many years performing breast surgery is a direction towards downsizing. Fifteen years ago, most breast augmentation patients wanted a full C or D cup. Today, women come in requesting something that looks more “athletic.” They want to feel comfortable and still feminine, but lighter and perkier as well.
Downsizing breast implants may be as simple as removing the old implants. This is assuming that the patient has enough natural breast tissue to deliver the new volume they desire. Alternatively, it may require exchanging the old implant for a newer, smaller sized implant.
Goal is a Breast Implant that “Namastes”
Your old surgery left behind some scar tissue, this much is obvious. But the less obvious issue is that, oftentimes, your old implant is both wider and bigger than your new implant. This creates a challenge for the surgeon. Dr. Camp’s goal with every breast augmentation revision is to deliver a breast implant that suits the patient’s fame, that stays put. “It’s like namaste in yoga,” explains Dr. Camp. He wants that new implant to “namaste in place”.
However, this can be a challenge when the new implant is much smaller and/or the skin and tissues of your breast have been stretched. Thankfully, there’s a new technique on the market that is enabling plastic surgeons to deliver consistent, predictable results with their breast augmentation revisions.
GalaFORM 3D = An Internal Bra
Depending on the state of your skin and how much ptosis (droop) exists, you may need to have a breast lift in combination with some soft tissue support, like GalaFORM 3D. “It works just like an internal bra,” says Dr. Camp. GalaFORM 3D is an advanced surgical scaffold used to support the breasts when their support structure has waned. Over time, the body forms collagen around the mesh scaffold, providing natural support as the scaffold itself is absorbed by the body. What’s left is your own internal tissue support. It’s completely safe, but adds an additional layer of strength, as well as shape control. This is really important when you are taking a large space and making it smaller.
GalaFORM 3D allows Dr. Camp to give his patients a predictable long-term outcome. It improves a patient’s quality of life in day-to-day activities such as exercise.
As they move through different decades, women have a different relationship with their bodies. Downsizing of breasts implants seems to match a more mature outlook. While not necessary for every breast augmentation revision patient, GalaFORM 3D is an exciting option for those patients who want to go from very large to very small or who have severely stretched, thinned-out skin. Technologies like this have made breast augmentation revision results better than ever before.