Plastic Surgery Q and A

Question: Over the past 2 years I have had three breast surgeries with my plastic surgeon. She recommended the implants from the 410 study. I went along with her recommendation, but I am very unhappy with the scars, the size and the shape of my breasts. After my last surgery she switched me to smaller implants, but did nothing to change the size of the pocket that the larger implants were in. After about a month I noticed that the shape got worse and very distorted looking. I went on another consultation and the doctor thought the breast implants shifted. Is this possible?
Answer: Yes sometimes breast implants may shift from their original position. This shift may change the appearance of the breasts, giving them and unusual shape and look. (especially the pre-shaped anatomical breast implants) Implant shifting can happen for a number of different reasons: Injury to the breast implants, pregnancy, weight gain, weight loss or if the implant is not securely positioned in the breast pocket. Breast implant shifting is unusual, but can be corrected with surgery. I just corrected a patient with implants from the 410 study that shifted. The initial plastic surgeon did not tighten the pocket around the breast implants and they were moving around and flipped distorting the breast shape. I had to revise her pockets and replaced the anatomical (teardrop) shaped silicone breast implants with round silicone gel. The patient is very happy with the appearance and feel of her new breasts. For photos go to www.TheBreastExpert.com photo gallery redo section.