Implant exchange

An implant exch­an­ge invol­ves remo­ving exis­ting breast implants and repla­cing them with new ones in the same ope­ra­ti­on. The pro­ce­du­re may be medi­cal­ly neces­sa­ry or aes­the­ti­cal­ly desired.

Appli­ca­ti­on

Com­mon reasons include cap­su­lar con­trac­tu­re, implant rup­tu­re, dis­pla­ce­ment or rota­ti­on of the implant and the wish for a dif­fe­rent size or shape. Chan­ges to the breast cau­sed by pregnan­cy, weight fluc­tua­ti­on or age­ing can also prompt an exch­an­ge. Depen­ding on the fin­dings, the old cap­su­le is remo­ved, the implant pocket adjus­ted or the pro­ce­du­re com­bi­ned with a breast lift.

Good to know

An exch­an­ge is usual­ly more invol­ved than the ori­gi­nal aug­men­ta­ti­on, as scar tis­sue and the exis­ting cap­su­le have to be taken into account. If the cap­su­le has har­den­ed, a cap­sulec­to­my is often per­for­med. Down­ti­me is gene­ral­ly one to two weeks, and sport should be avo­ided for seve­ral weeks. Rou­ti­ne repla­ce­ment at fixed inter­vals is not essen­ti­al in the absence of problems.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Breast implant exchange