Breast enhancement surgery involves the insertion of sac implants, either saline or silicone gel. When patients undergo such procedures, they expect the implants they receive to meet or exceed the accepted standards.
Having breast augmentation surgery does not come without risks; however, and women with implants may suffer complications, such as ruptures or leaks, with the potential for serious health complications. When these complications result from defects with the implants themselves, the patients affected may come together in a class-action lawsuit to recover compensation for their resulting damages.
Common causes of breast implant ruptures
Implant ruptures may occur due to a number of reasons. According to an article published in the Gland Surgery journal, some of the most common causes of breast implant ruptures include the following:
- Fold flaws
- Implant trauma
- Shell swelling
- Damage from surgical instruments
Some such issues may arise over time, with implants breaking down the longer patients have them. Others, however, result from defects within the implants themselves.
Effects of breast implant leaks
According to breastcancer.org, patients may experience various medical effects due to gel breast implant ruptures. While the body may simply absorb the fluid leaked from silicone implants, it does not absorb gel from ruptured implants. Rather, the gel may stay in the area of the breasts and cause issues such as pain, swelling and firmness. Further, it may spread throughout the body, eventually reaching the lungs and lymph nodes.
In addition to receiving treatment for complications resulting from the spread of the gel within their bodies, patients whose breast implants rupture may require corrective surgery. In such cases, a plastic surgeon must go in to remove the implant, as well as any leaked gel from the body.