Capsular Contracture ,What is the Best Way to Treat it at Home?
I would like to know if deep tissue massage regularly is the best way? using a massage machine that vibrates and pulsates at different levels regularly? also what about medicine? I appreciate any advice towards my question, thanks.
Answer:
Capsules form around breast implants within days of their placement. The capsules are basically scar tissue that surrounds the implants .The formation of scar around the breast implant is normal as a breast implant capsule.. When it is excessively thick and/or tight scar tissue around the breast implant tight it is known as a capsule contracture. We do not know why or how this happens. For a variety of reasons muscle like contractile cells can appear in the capsule wall. When they contract we see/feel a hard breast (capsular contracture) with variable degrees of surface outline distortion, from the outside the breast implant is deformed from the capsule that is progressively shrinking. That is usually seen at months or years after surgery. The longer the contracture has been present the harder it is to treat and the more aggressive the treatment/surgery that is required.
and the severity of the capsule can be assigned to one of three categories:
Category 1: Breast is more firm than usual, but not visibly different or painful
Category 2: Breast is firm and visibly different in shape or appearence
Category 3: Breast is firm, visibly different, and painful
The best way to prevent capsular contracture is to do breast massages both medially and superiorly 3x per day. You should do this for at least the first year after breast augmentation and continue it daily thereafter for the duration of the implants to minimize closure of the capsule. Massage is usually recommended immediately following the surgery and can be continued for months to years , but is absolutely no scientific evidence that it helps prevent contractures.
If the capsular contracture has only be present for a few days or weeks it may be amenable to non-surgical treatment such as deep massage. It really depends on how long you have noticed it…If it is just starting, then I have had patients have success with alternating deep massage. Home massage, however will not likely make a difference if the capsule is already significant or contracted.
Endermologie (the combination of rollers and suction pressure applied to the skin surface) can be a good way to get the massage movement deep enough under the skin to stretch and soften the capsule.
Singulair and Vit E can be used but likely have very little effect. Singulair is a widely used asthma medication that can sometimes help. This is an off label use of this medicine. but this does not necessarily work in every patient. Time likely will either help relax the capsule somewhat or keep it relatively unchanged
There is nothing you can do to treat established capsular contracture at home. Overly aggressive pressure maneuvers may cause damage to your implants. Finally surgery is an option to correct this by removing the capsule entirely or releasing it in areas to accommodate the implant.
Question:
There are 10 years after my breast aumentation surgery with prothesis and stick out more. They feel somewhat harder, but is this the implant or capsular contracture? How does a doctor determine if a patient has this problem?
Answer:
Increased firmness 10 years after breast implant surgery is certainly a capsular contracture. The implants themselves do not get firm. Capsular contracture is when the tissue surrounding the implant gets more dense and tightens arounds the implant squeezing it. If it tightens enough, the implant will get very firm and become shaped like a ball. Remember that the smallest space an object can occupy is a perfect sphere, and if the scar tightens enough, the implant will become a sphere. And, further tightening can even become painful.
There are four grades of breast capsular contracture - The grading is as follows ( according to the Baker system ) :
• Grade I the breast is normally soft and looks natural
• Grade II the breast is a little firm but looks normal
• Grade III the breast is firm and looks abnormal
• Grade IV the breast is hard, painful, and looks abnormal
If you are a Grade 2, I would do nothing. Grade 3, but only mildly distorted and you may need replacement of the implant and removal of the surrounding scar capsule(called a capsulectomy). Capsule contracture is the most common complication of an augmentation mammoplasty.
Some patients have had some softening of the encapsulation using the medication Singular, which is an anti-leucotriene. Add an anti-prostaglandin to that, such as Aleve, and you may have some relief natural Vitamin E complex
The following techniques have been employed to fight capsular contracture:
1. submuscular breast implant placement
2. using textured implants
3. limiting handling of the implants and skin contact prior to insertion
4. irrigation with triple-antibiotic solutions
the study examined saline vs. silicone capsular contracture rates , actually found silicone to be higher but this was likely secondary to the fact that a RUPTURED silicone implant causes much more of an immune response and is likely to cause capsular contracture. However the most reliable and common way to treat capular contracture is to remove the capsule and replace the implant
The causes have not conclusively been determined although some things that increase capsular contracture are: 1) Infection, 2) Hematoma (collection of blood around the implant), 3) History of breast radiation, and 4) History of previous capsular contracture .It is believed that capsular contracture is primarily a response to the presence of low-virulence or non-virulent bacteria (i.e. not the kind that generally produce an actual infection, with redness/tenderness/fever etc) that adhere to the implant surface on the day of surgery, and which over weeks and months following surgery stimulate the cells that make collagen (called fibroblasts) to make more collagen - thickening the capsule and stimulating it to contract and tighten around the implant. It is not an actual infection; there are no symptoms that this is going on, and taking antibiotics will not prevent the process or reverse it. The source of these non-virulent bacteria is thought to be the patient's skin, or the ductal systems of the breast that lead to the nipple, as both are normally colonized with bacteria.
The older implants are known to have greater gel bleed which allows smaller particle size silicone molecules to bleed out from the implant shell over time. This is though to incite a low grade inflammatory reaction and potentially contribute to capsular contracture.
A capsular contracture is diagnosed by physical exam and symptoms – . If the implant is firm and does not move around or starts to ride up on the chest more so on one side than the other, then more than likely you have it. imaging can show scar but not contracture . Encapsulated implants will feel very distinct from the surrounding breast tissue, are usually firmly attached to the chest wall, and the breast tissue will sometimes hang off the implants. Often times they may feel painful to the touch as well, which can occur in more advanced forms of this condition. You can try to massage the implants to relieve some of these signs/symptoms
Capsular contracture can occur on one or both sides, and while it can develop early (weeks) or late (years) after a breast augmentation surgery, in the vast majority of cases it is evident fairly early following the procedure. So the good news is that once you are six to 12 months out from your surgery, if your augmented breasts are soft and supple then they are likely to stay that way for the long term.
The more difficult decision is what to do. If the contracture does not bother you, it may be best to adopt a wait and see. Surgical options typically involve replacing the implants and either removing the capsule itself, or changing the position of the implant.
1. If it doesn't bother you, capsular contracture is not medically worrisome, and you could consider doing nothing if the process is stable.
2. If it is mild and early but bothers you, certain medications (Singulair, Accolate, Vitamin E) show promise in reducing or at least preventing progression of capsular contracture.
3. If it is moderate to severe, you may wish to consider surgery to loosen or remove part or all of the capsule (capsulectomy or capsulotomy) with implant replacement.
I would encourage you to perform breast implant excercises to prevent or minimize ongoing contracture.
Breast augmentation recovery. How much time off work does breast implant recovery require? Will I be able to take care of my 2 children afterwards? When do scars really begin to fade? The more you can tell me the better
Answer:
Initially, you can expect to feel tightness and pressure if the implants are placed under the muscle. Pain medication and muscle relaxants can ease this. Only use as much as you need to reach a point of "tolerable discomfort." Trying to become pain free with medications is not possible and will only lead to taking too much of the drugs prescribed to you. Recovery from breast surgery depends on many factors including implant size and placement, patients pain tolerance to name a few.
For the first couple days, you will have tight discomfort around your chest, like you had engorgement from breast feeding.This tightness eases significantly over the first week and most patients are off medications by then. Returning to activities that elevate your heart rate and blood pressure is possible at the 6 week point after surgery.
After surgery you will have swelling in the upper pole of your breast.The swelling should be largely gone by 6 weeks and usually there is no bruising at all. The final size and appearance should be seen by 3 months
.Breast Augmentation has consistently been the most popular cosmetic surgery operation for multiple reasons; It is affordable, makes a great change in your appearance, boosts your attractiveness and self-confidence and does NOT have a prolonged down-time
Recovery in general for breast augmentation is a fairly carefree operation done as an outpatient procedure with general anesthesia. The patient can usually go home following the procedure and short recovery period. Most normal activity can be resumed in three to five days following surgery. I recommend my patients to refrain from exercise and getting their heart rate above 100 for at least six weeks following surgery. The patient can expect to be off work for three to five days immediately following the procedure. Indeed time away from work depends upon the physical activity requirements of your job
.If your implants are placed submuscular (under the muscle) then I suggest no gym for 6 weeks. Let the kids get up on your lap then take them from a sitting position. Don't lift them from a standing position because it's a little too much force on the pectoralis itself . If you have small children you probably want someone to be around to help you during the first few days.Don't plan to drive during 10 days ,especialy while you're taking the prescribed pain pills .
.Most patients who undergo breast augmentation are actually surprised to find that they recovery is smoother than anticipated. Younger clients in the 20-30 group tend to bounce back faster but still need to limit their aerobic exercise and heavy lifting for a four weeks after surgery. At 6 days at your follow-up appointment incisions are healed and you learn how to massage them for softnes
Conclusion
These are general observations and by no means exhaustive nor completely exclusive.
Home the same day of surgery. You may experience some nipple sensitivity for the first few weeks Any bruising typically resolves in the first 2 weeks
Days 1-4: Inflammatory period: Swelling, pain, discomfort. Early risk for bleeding in first 24 hours.This is the period that requires the vast majority of medication. Move arms (if allowed by surgeon to minimize spasm pain). Bruising may appear. Fluid retention is common .
Days 4-10: Generally OK to shower and get wounds briefly wet if permitted by surgeon. Belly may be swollen as the swellng moves down your body. Possible constipation due to pain meds. Pain tends to diminish during the day with less need for meds. However, pain tends to occur at night from 3-6am and is worse with submusclular placement. Bruising stable. Begin implant displacement exercises(massage) if permited by surgeon. Between 7-10 days be aware of signs of bleeding or infection
Days 10-21: lowered risk of infection and bleeding. Increased physcial activity such as low impact exercises avoiding upper extremity resistance excersises. Vast majority of initial capsule formation occurs during this period. Vast majority of swelling begins to subside. Occasional pain at night.
Nerves begin to wake up (resolving dysesthesias) and may cause "pins and needles" sensation to nipple area. Normal to have some areas of skin numbness. More aggressive implant displacement exercises are begun.
Days 21-42: Generally a plateau period in terms of wound healing. Not alot of changes as the remaining 20% of the capsule tends to be formed during this period. Rare to require any pain meds.
May begin transition from low implact activities to higher impact aerobic activites and begin a slow but gradually progressive course of upper extremity resistance exercises. Many surgeons disagree at which point you may be unrestricted *(anywhere from 6 wks to 3 months).
Days 42-9 months: Progressive relaxation of scar tissues and softening of the initially firm result with descent of the implant and resolution of the remaining 5-10% of swelling. It is at this points that the breasts generally become softer and movil.
During this time most patients take "ownership" of the implants and they become part of their body image but this varies tremendously among patients. This is also a common time period where patients may feel that they didn't go big enough.
Although the breasts become stable in their appearance, it is important to realize that they are never stable and always changing with the greatest amount of change occuring with pregnancy, weight gain, and menopause. Everyone heals differently and not all surgeons would agree with this summary
