Capsular contracture

The body forms a scar capsule around every breast implant. That layer is expected. Capsular contracture is the capsule tightening until the breast feels hard, looks distorted, sits higher, or hurts. Surgeons often describe the severity with the Baker grades, from a breast that looks and feels natural to one that is painful and obviously misshapen.

Cause is not a single thing. Infection, bleeding, radiation, a ruptured implant, and the plane the implant sits in have all been associated with it. Not every firm breast is contracture. A mass, a fluid collection, or late swelling has to be distinguished from BIA-ALCL before anyone calls it scar tissue.

Mild firmness is sometimes watched. Painful or distorting contracture is treated with surgery: release or removal of the capsule, and a decision about whether a new implant, fat, or your own tissue should rebuild the breast. That operation is reconstructive. It is planned by Dr. Sayah with the breast surgeons, especially if radiation or a prior cancer operation is part of the history.

This is general information about how these questions are usually approached. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not replace a visit. Screening and treatment are planned for one person at a time.