Even though plastic surgery is more common and popular than ever before and people have even more procedures to choose from, breast augmentation is still one of the most sought-after. 

There is a lot of planning and money that goes into breast augmentation surgery and unfortunately, some patients do end up being unhappy with their results several months or years after their procedure. Your body might’ve changed over time or you’re simply no longer happy with the size of your implants. Whatever your reasons for being unhappy, it is possible to change the size of your breast implants. 

Choosing a Surgeon for Breast Implant Replacement

Before you decide to undergo a second breast surgery, you want to make sure that you’re either happy with your initial surgeon or are choosing the best possible surgeon for your second procedure. 

Some patients prefer to choose a new surgeon because their first surgeon actually pressured them into choosing an implant size they weren’t completely sold on. 

If you will be finding a new surgeon, opt for someone who has extensive experience in breast implant replacement since this will ensure you achieve a more superior result. Your surgeon should also have experience with general breast revision surgery since they need to be able to analyse exactly how your surgeon performed your first surgery. 

Whether you’re choosing a new surgeon or not, ask questions about their experience with revision and replacement surgery. Naturally, if you are opting to use a new surgeon, thoroughly check all of his/her credentials before you go ahead. Requesting before and after photos of past implant replacement surgeries is also a must. 

What to Keep in Mind Before Your Implant Replacement Surgery

Regardless of whether this is your first or second procedure, it’s always important to find as much breast augmentation surgery information as possible so that you are fully prepared and your expectations are realistic.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your breast implant replacement surgery:

• Your implant options might have changed

Depending on when you first underwent breast augmentation, your implant options might have changed, so you want to make sure that your surgeon takes you through all of your options again. Once again, you will be able to decide on the size, shape, profile and texture of your implants. If your body shape has changed, you may also want to take this into consideration before you make a final call on your new size – the point is for your breasts to still look as natural as possible.

• You may require a breast lift too

Unfortunately, changing your implant size won’t necessarily be able to address any droopiness that has occurred since your first surgery. If you are drastically reducing the size of your implants, there is a chance that you may experience sagginess, which means you may need to combine your replacement surgery with a breast lift. 

A breast lift is designed to remove any excess skin and tighten any remaining skin to create a more desirable appearance. A breast lift will not affect the size of your breasts but it will move the breasts higher up on the chest and create a firmer appearance overall. 

If you will be combining the replacement with a lift, you should prepare yourself for the fact that there will be additional scarring after your surgery. However, most women are more than happy to live with additional scarring if they can achieve their desired result.

Your surgeon will be able to advise you whether you require a breast lift during your consultation once a physical examination has been performed. Naturally, the cost of the surgery will be higher if a breast lift is also required.

• The date of your first surgery needs to be taken into account

During the first few months after your first procedure, your body will need time to adjust to your implants and there will be some swelling present that can alter the size of your breasts. It’s not uncommon for women to feel dissatisfied with the size of their implants because the final results are not yet noticeable. If your breast augmentation surgery was performed less than a year ago, it’s highly advisable to wait until your breasts have settled and healed completely before you decide that you’re unhappy with the results. 

If at any stage during your recovery you are feeling really unhappy with the results of your surgery, rather schedule an appointment with your surgeon so that he/she can provide you with some suggestions, feedback and recommendations before you settle on the idea of implant replacement surgery. 

If it’s determined that replacing your implants is the only way to achieve your desired outcome and all of the above factors have been taken into consideration, you can go ahead and schedule your procedure.