Undergoing breast augmentation is not and should not be a trivial matter. It is an intervention that should be well thought out by the patient, as well as agreed with the specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Marín expands on this in his article.
It is important that, before undergoing a cosmetic surgery operation, the patient has as much information as possible, following the advice of a good specialist in the field.
However, despite the recommendations that are always given, there are women who suffer complications after the intervention because they may not have taken into account certain important aspects such as:
- Thinking that any surgeon will do. This is the worst mistake that can be made. The breasts are a particularly delicate area of a woman’s body and the fact of being able to suffer an infection or poor healing from a breast augmentation procedure can have serious consequences. That is why it is very important that the intervention is performed by a specialist qualified in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
- Not performing all the necessary tests in the pre-operative study. The pre-operative study should be mandatory, and it is very important that blood tests and an electrocardiogram are performed. If a pre-operative study is not contemplated, it will be better not to undergo any intervention, at least with such equipment.
- Save on the type of breast implant. It is important that the patient knows the types of existing prostheses. There are round and anatomical and the choice of one or the other will depend on the characteristics of the breast and, to a certain extent, on the patient’s wishes. It will never be a good idea to want to save more, since the materials of which the prostheses are made must be approved and these must be of the highest quality to ensure a beautiful and lasting result but, above all, without possible complications.
- Choosing a larger implant than recommended. It is important that the patient is informed of the types of existing prostheses and that she decides together with the surgeon the one that best suits her case, based on what she wants and, above all, on her needs. This means that, just because you want a larger implant, it will not be aesthetically better. In addition, the plastic surgeon will be in charge of advising the patient of the most recommended one based on her physical characteristics and will warn her of possible risks derived from placing a larger prosthesis than recommended.
- Not having a prosthesis identification card. It is very important that after the operation the patient has an identification card of the prosthesis, since they accredit the brand and characteristics of the implanted prosthesis.
- Not doing enough post-operative revisions. After the operation, the patient should attend check-ups so that the plastic surgeon can evaluate how the breast and scars are evolving, and how the mammary gland is adapting to the implant. It is also recommended to have annual or biannual reviews with diagnostic imaging (breast ultrasound or MRI), to check that the breast prostheses are correctly.
In general, if the above points are taken into account, nothing should go wrong. However, although they may seem like very basic recommendations, mistakes continue to be made in breast augmentation surgery.