Sometimes complications may result from the primary breast implant plastic surgery or liposuction body contouring surgery. This may make it necessary to have a revision surgery to remove or replace the breast implants or correct the anomalies caused in the body contours in the treated areas with liposuction.
Revision procedures should only be performed by an experienced surgeon to achieve safe and desirable outcomes. The noteworthy and committed Virginia Institute of Plastic Surgery (VIPS), led by board certified plastic surgeons Dr. Burton Sundin and Dr. Reps Sundin, provides revision surgery to patients in Richmond, Virginia, and surrounding communities in The Mother of States.
Implant Replacement or Removal Surgery
Breast implant replacement or removal may become necessary for a woman who has experienced capsular contracture, causing the implants to lose their shape, position or become damaged, hardened or rippled. The surgeon will perform breast implant replacement plastic surgery in a similar way to the primary breast augmentation procedure.
The surgeon’s first preference will be to use the old incision lines to remove original implants and replace them with new ones. This will not create any new scars in other areas. However, if the patient wants implants of a different type, size or shape, the surgeon may have to customize implant pockets and create new incisions.
If the patient only wants implant removal and not replacement, she may have to receive breast lift in conjunction with revision surgery. The implants and aging effects over time would reduce skin elasticity, causing the breasts to sag. Therefore, optimal outcomes in implant removal surgery may be achieved when the procedure is combined with a breast lift.
The entire procedure can be performed using general anesthesia or IV sedation, and the patient will usually return home the same day of surgery. Surgeons usually recommend breast implant replacement instead of implant removal because the revision procedure becomes less complicated and reduces the risk of infection and bleeding.
Revision Liposuction Surgery
Secondary liposuction or revision liposuction can be a more complex procedure. The surgeon will choose the appropriate revision technique. If the contour deformity is significant, the surgeon may recommend traditional liposuction technique, which involves a suction process. In this procedure, a cannula will be inserted through incisions to replace or remove fat in the targeted site after it has been injected with saline.
Laser and ultrasound assisted liposuction techniques may also be used to perform revision liposuction surgery. A cannula like device will be used to deliver the laser fiber or ultrasound waves to the affected areas that have been injected with saline. This allows for heating up of the deeper tissue to melt away unwanted fat tissue, which is then suctioned from the body.
If excess fat tissue has been removed during the primary liposuction surgery, the body contour may be restored using fat transfer technique. Fat injections are used in this process to deliver harvested fat from donor sites to the targeted area. Patients in Richmond, Virginia, and other cities and suburbs in this part of the country have an opportunity to receive revision surgery procedures from golden, reliable, and board certified plastic surgeons at the Virginia Institute of Plastic Surgery.
For more information on the surgical and non-surgical procedures and treatments by Board Certified Cosmetic Plastic Surgeons Dr. Reps Sundin and Dr. Burton Sundin please visit
Serving Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Vienna, McLean, Fairfax, Loudoun County, Ashburn, Tysons Corner, Reston, Arlington, Fredricksburg, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Maryland Richmond, VA and surrounding communities.
