Before and after breast revision in a 43 year old woman. She had developed capsular contracture after previous implant reconstruction following bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomies for breast cancer. Her right chest had received postoperative radiation, as evidenced by the blue dot tattoos marking the radiation field.
Her revision involved a bilateral capsulectomy and implant exchange. Follow up photos are shown at 3 weeks after surgery. Her reconstruction looks more normal, soft and symmetric. The tightness resulting from capsular contracture is gone.
A sample was taken of the scar tissue around the implants for bacterial culture. Capsular contracture is often thought to result from bacteria around the implant, which the body’s immune system sees as foreign and tries to wall off by creating thick scar. Fortunately, her cultures were clear, giving her a good prognosis to avoid recurrence of contracture.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
