Breast implants are one of the more common plastic surgery procedures performed across the country each year. Despite that, many different misconceptions have sprung up over the years regarding breast implants. At Cincinnati Plastic Surgery, we want to assure you that breast implant surgery is a safe procedure. Even with safety precautions in place, people still think the procedure is unsafe. Below, we’ll go over some of the more common breast implant misconceptions and refute them.
Breast Implants Cause Cancer
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding breast implants is that they cause cancer. This misconception isn’t true. Many different studies show that there’s no link between breast implants and breast cancer. We take many different steps to make sure you are completely safe during the breast implant process.
Depending on your age, we will require a mammogram before your surgery. We require this for patients over 35-40 years old. Mammograms have a high efficacy rate in finding breast cancer. Should you receive a positive mammogram result, we will not perform the surgery. We’ll also note any family history of breast cancer.
Implants Need Replaced
At one point in time, many types of implants needed replaced every 10 years or so. With technological advances, that’s not the truth anymore.
Saline implants are marketed to last up to 20 years. However, if they rupture, they’ll need replaced sooner. The filling of saline is salt water, so it’s perfectly safe to be in your body. In fact, your body naturally absorbs it.
As for silicone implants, for newer versions, they likely will last a lifetime. They have an inner and outer shell. So, if something should happen to the outer shell, the silicone still stays in place because of the inner shell.
Massaging to Keep Them Soft
Many people think they have to take special steps to ensure their breast implants stay soft. For a while, people believed you had to massage the breast to stop scar tissue from forming around the implant, creating the “hardening” effect. With today’s technological advances, you don’t have to massage implants to keep them soft. Additionally, placing the breast implant below the muscle is believed to provide enough of a massage that you don’t need to do anything.
You Can’t Breastfeed With Implants
Finally, many people think once you get breast implants, you must be done having children because milk production is impacted by the placement of the implant. However, regardless of the placement of the breast implant (below or above the muscle), it shouldn’t impact milk production. So if you do get pregnant after having breast implants, you don’t need to worry your implants impacting breastfeeding.
We make patient safety a number one priority at Cincinnati Plastic Surgery. After performing breast implant surgeries for years, we know it’s a safe procedure. If you’ve consider breast implants to add volume to your chest, turn to Cincinnati Plastic Surgery. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Martin is the surgeon other surgeons go to. Contact us to set up your free consultation now.
