Uncovering New Mysteries Surrounding Breast Implant Complications

January 7, 2013
Dr.Anand Deva, MD
Sydney, Australia
Dr. Anand Deva of Sydney, Australia takes time away from his surgical practice to research the science behind breast implant complications. With the publication of his new paper, Deva and his team have found exciting results showing that low-grade bacterial infection around the breast implant at the time of surgery may be the lead cause of capsular contracture. Of special note in the research, Deva’s team found that both smooth and textured implants with the same conditions will equally develop capsular contracture, leading to the conclusion that the surface of an implant has little to do with the possibility of complication.

Research findings: textured vs. smooth implants

The most interesting find of the research was the amount of lymphocytes surrounding the textured implant. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that work to defend the body of infection and all other harmful issues. While capsular contracture did occur in both the smooth and textured implants, the body’s response by sending lymphocytes was much greater in the textured implant.

This accumulation of lymphocytes led to increased discomfort around the tissue, driven by the body’s apparent increased awareness of a problem. In the end, very little research comes to a conclusion that offers a significant breakthrough. However, continued research helps to whittle away at important questions about surgical procedures and gives new researchers new pieces of thought provoking data. The science of medicine is a behind the scenes, necessary component to find achievement in the 21^st century and help patients everywhere find more and more success.