What’s Going Around: Breast Implant Safety

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - About 3.5 million women in America have breast implants, and doctors say the process starts with a conversation about expectations, goals, and long-term care.

“Yeah, we usually start about expectations. What are we looking for? What’s the patient looking for? And how they’re looking to get what result,” said Dr. Wade Kubat, an osteopathic physician at Mercy’s Breast Surgery Clinic.

Dr. Kubat said there are several factors women should consider when thinking about breast implants, including size, shape, and the type of implant used.

“There are different sizes, different shapes,” Kubat said. “There are different components, mainly being a saline component or a silicone component, and there are good things and bad things with each different implant.”

He said patients also need to understand that implants are not typically lifetime devices and should be monitored over time.

“It’s very important to know that even though they’re made to last a lifetime, typically they don’t,” Kubat said. “They do need monitoring as well as surveillance.”

According to Kubat, there is up to a 20% chance a patient will need revision surgery within the first 10 years.

He said women with implants should pay attention to possible warning signs, including changes in firmness, pain, appearance, or implant position.

“One thing that we typically talk to with our implant patient about is seeing if there’s any lumps or bumps,” Kubat said. “Is there any increased firmness? Has the implant changed in position? Is there some overlying skin change, increased pain?”

Kubat also said patients who previously received textured implants should be aware of a rare cancer risk associated with that type of implant. He noted that textured implants are no longer used.

“The implants that we use are smooth, but there was a time when we had textured implants,” Dr. Kubat said. “There’s a very rare kind of cancer that actually forms around a textured implant, so somebody who notices a change, firmness, difficulty with pain or discomfort that has a textured implant should really also seek an opinion.”

Dr. Kubat said a large part of the work at Mercy’s Breast Surgery Clinic involves breast reconstruction for cancer survivors who have undergone double mastectomies.

“In the last 15 or 20 years, we’ve done an excellent job on really pushing the limits on what we can do with implants and to make it better for our ladies,” Dr. Kubat said.

He said those advances include more options in implant shapes and sizes, as well as fat grafting to help correct small postoperative changes.

“We’re trying to improve their life because they have had such a big change in their life,” Kubat said. “So part of that is making sure that clothes fit, swimming suits fit, that you feel comfortable about yourself with and without clothes.”

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