Capsular contracture can happen at any time after the surgery however it's very unusual that is going to happen within the first weeks after the surgery. There's no specific test to determined if you have one, a physical exam should be enough.
In the literature, capsular contracture most commonly occurs after the first and second years post-surgery [22]. Hence, we reported two unique cases that developed capsular contractures nine weeks and eight weeks after their most recent breast surgery.
After 2-3 weeks, your implants may still be high, but most likely they will start to drop and fluff. Your breasts will remain firm, but they will no longer feel tight. Around this time, natural scar tissue will form around your implant. Nipples will still be low.
In general, patients should expect breast implants to settle within 6 weeks to 3 months. And in reality, breasts progressively look more natural over many months. Different factors affect the speed of this drop and fluff process, including: Tight skin before surgery.
Generally, capsular contracture occurs during the healing process. About 75% of all capsular contractures will occur within two years of the patient's implants being placed. Sometimes capsular contractures occur many years after breast augmentation surgery, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Capsular contracture symptoms include increasing firmness or tightness in the breast. Signs of the condition can start to appear as early as a few months after your breast implant reconstruction surgery or even years afterward.
Grade I - the breast is soft and appears normal, and the capsule is flexible. Grade II - the breast looks normal, but is somewhat hard to the touch. Grade III - the breast is hard, has some distortion caused by contracture, or the breast becomes a rounded shape, or the implant is generally tilted upwards.
Implants moving after a breast augmentation or after a replacement surgery for old implants, is absolutely normal. And how much you feel that movement varies widely from person to person. Some people stop feeling their implants after 6, 8 weeks. Some people feel their implants for years.
Hematoma: Exercising before you have healed enough can cause a tear in your breast tissues, which may lead to a pocket of blood called a hematoma.
If you massage your breasts too soon after your surgery, the incisions could reopen and an infection could develop. If your breasts begin to feel hard, or if the tissue around them starts to feel tight, consult with your surgeon right away.
You could receive the all-clear to sleep on your sides as early as two weeks after breast augmentation. However, you may be advised to wear a special bra to support your chest. After roughly four to six weeks, you should be able to resume sleeping on your stomach.
In general, most women are able to wear bras 4-6 weeks after breast augmentation. That being said, Dr. Pozner recommends waiting approximately three months before spending a lot of money on new bras.
How long this lasts: Intermittent chest muscle spasms after breast augmentation may last up to three or four weeks, until the pectoral muscle has fully adjusted to having an implant beneath it.
Typically, patients who develop capsular contracture begin to notice the symptoms in the first several months – up to about two years – after surgery, though it can occur at any time.
Surgical repair is the only viable solution for Capsular Contraction. The symptoms of Capsular Contracture will range in severity with the most severe characterized by a tight, painful chest that may feel firm or hard to the touch.
Patients who are prone to developing thick scar tissue or have a family history of autoimmune disease may be at a heightened risk of capsular contracture.
After surgery, you may wear any type of bra that does not have underwire. Choose a bra that does not push your breasts up, but just provides coverage. Please wait about three months before wearing underwire bras. Do not lift weights more than 25 pounds, and avoid using a vacuum cleaner for about three weeks.
Putting a pillow between your arm and your side at night will prevent you from rolling on to the surgical site. You should avoid repetitive motions with the arm on the surgical side, such as vacuuming, for two weeks after surgery. Avoid heavy lifting for 4 weeks.
Avoiding vigirous activity for the first several weeks of your recovery is thought to lower your risk of Capsular Contracture, or the hardening of scar tissue around the Breast Implant.
Most swelling will subside after two weeks and over the following weeks the implants should fall gradually and fill the lower breast. You should expect your breasts to be in their final position at three months. The type and size of the implant can affect the drop and fluff timeline.
How tight should my bra be after breast augmentation? The ideal fit for a post-surgery bra should be snug but not tight. The best indicator that your bra fits correctly is that it's comfortable, and although you might feel some pressure, this isn't excessive or painful.
4 Weeks After Surgery
If well-tolerated, patients can begin a gradual return to full lower-body activity, including moderate running while wearing a supportive athletic bra, as long as the breasts feel comfortable. Listen to your body! It will tell you what you can and can't do.
Get a mammogram, breast ultrasound and possibly MRI to make sure there are no abnormaliities in the breast tissue. An MRI may be necessary because if there is capsular contracture, the mammogram will not be as accurate. Capsular contracture can happen at any time after surgery.
Capsular contracture can be treated and is not life-threatening. Nevertheless, if it's not treated, the scar tissue will likely progress to become more hard, tight, and in some cases, painful. It can eventually lead to deformed breasts in those who have had breast augmentations.
Vitamin E 800-1200 mg a day. This is believed to interfere with the formation of collagen and thus, soften scar tissue and prevent contracture. There is no proven efficacy once capsular contracture is established.