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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffBreast augmentation poses various risks, including:
- Scar tissue that distorts the shape of the breast implant (capsular contracture)
- Breast pain
- Infection
- Changes in nipple and breast sensation, usually temporary
- Implant leakage or rupture
Correcting any of these complications might require additional surgery, either to remove or replace the implants.
A 2011 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review found a possible association between breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) — a rare cancer of the immune system. However, the connection isn't well-defined or clearly supported. The number of women in the general population who have ALCL is exceedingly low, and the number is even lower among women who have breast implants.
References
- Breast implant surgery. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/ucm064176.htm. Accessed May 14, 2012.
- Risks of breast implants. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/ucm064106.htm?utm_campaign=Google2&utm_source=fdaSearch&utm_medium=website&utm_term=breast%20implants%20and%20breast-feeding&utm_content=1. Accessed May 14, 2012.
- McCarthy CM, et al. Silicone breast implants and magnetic resonance imaging screening for rupture: Do U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations reflect and evidence-based practice approach to patient care? Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2008;121:1127.
- Breast augmentation procedure steps. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-augmentation.html?sub=Breast%20augmentation%20procedure%20steps. Accessed May 14, 2012.
- Breast augmentation before and after. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-augmentation.html?sub=Breast%20augmentation%20before%20and%20after. Accessed May 14, 2012.
- Breast augmentation costs. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-augmentation.html?sub=Breast%20augmentation%20costs. Accessed May 14, 2012.
- Preparing for breast augmentation surgery. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-augmentation.html?sub=Preparing%20for%20breast%20augmentation%20surgery. Accessed May 14, 2012.
- Breast augmentation recovery. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/breast-augmentation.html?sub=Breast%20augmentation%20recovery. Accessed May 14, 2012.
- Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) in women with breast implants: Preliminary FDA findings and analyses. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/ucm239996.htm. Accessed May 7, 2012.
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