Introduction
Breast enlargement is considered one of the most prevalent and common plastic surgery treatments in the United States, with a minimal risk of complications. In 1962, Cronin and Gerow introduced silicone breast implants, which are now the first-line treatment for breast augmentation (enlargement). Breast augmentation can help women regain mental and physical health after a mastectomy (breast removal). However, breast plastic surgery can potentially generate stress on the body, which can damage other organs, including the liver.
What Is Breast Plastic Surgery?
Breast plastic surgery, also referred to as breast augmentation (breast enhancement surgery), is a cosmetic surgical operation that is used to change the size, shape, or appearance of a person's breasts. This may include enlarging the breasts, shaping breasts that have reduced as a result of aging, or reconstructing breasts following mastectomy (the surgical removal of breast tissue, frequently due to breast cancer).
Breast augmentation includes inserting implants (often silicone or saline-filled) beneath the breast tissue or chest muscle to improve the size and form of the breasts. Other breast plastic surgery treatments include breast reconstruction (building a new breast mound following a mastectomy), breast lift (lifting and contouring sagging breasts), and breast reduction (lowering the size of excessively big breasts).
Who Needs Breast Plastic Surgery?
Individuals choose breast plastic surgery for a variety of reasons. Following are a few common reasons for choosing breast plastic surgery:
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Enhancing Appearance: Some people want to alter the size, shape, or symmetry of their breasts. Breast reduction can be opted to treat discomfort caused by excessively large breasts, and breast augmentation is frequently chosen to increase breast size.
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Breast Reconstruction: To restore the appearance of their breasts after having a mastectomy due to breast cancer, women may choose to have breast reconstruction surgery. Both aesthetic and psychological benefits may result from this.
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Breast Asymmetry Correction: If someone has naturally uneven breasts, breast plastic surgery can help them achieve better symmetry.
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Aging: Breasts may sag and lose volume with age. Surgery for breast lifts can reduce sagging and give women a more youthful appearance.
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Gynecomastia: To decrease extra tissue and restore a more masculine chest contour, men with enlarged breast tissue do breast reduction surgery.
What Are Silicone Breast Implants?
Silicone implants are produced from silicone gel filling. They resemble natural breasts in both appearance and feel. Breast augmentation using silicone gel-filled implants is allowed for women aged above 22 and breast reconstruction in women of any age. They are also utilized in revision procedures to fix or improve the outcome of a previous procedure.
What Are the Complications Associated With Breast Plastic Surgery?
Complications associated with breast plastic surgery are:
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Scar tissue (capsular contracture) affects the contour of the breast implant.
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Infection causing breast soreness.
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Nipple and breast sensation changes.
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Changes in the breast implant position.
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Breast implant rupture or leakage.
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Scarring that never fades.
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Asymmetry in the breasts' size, level, or form.
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Breast tissue atrophy, or the loss of substance in the breast tissue.
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Breast skin thinning and shrinking.
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Blood accumulation close to the surgery site results in painful pain and swelling.
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Unusual swelling.
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Not being able to breastfeed or having less milk produced than before.
Does Breast Plastic Surgery Cause Liver Damage?
Breast plastic surgery carries the same risks as any other medical procedure, including the possibility of organ damage. Although it depends on the procedure, the patient's health, and other factors, there is very little chance of organ damage after breast plastic surgery. During many plastic surgery procedures, surgical manipulation of underlying organs or tissues could lead to a possible injury. For example, implant placement during breast augmentation surgery may cause damage to the breast tissue or the muscles around it.
Silicone breast implants may behave as a foreign body and trigger the formation of autoantibodies in the liver parenchyma after leaking, similar to common inflammatory and connective tissue diseases. Breast implant rupture and leakage have the potential to trigger foreign body granulomatous responses and silica particle accumulation in the liver parenchyma. It is unclear how silicone implant rupture and hepatobiliary illness are related.
Deposition of silicone particles frequently occurs in the liver. They frequently deposit inside the cells of the portal tract, where they activate macrophages and Kupffer cells and cause chronic hepatitis. Hepatobiliary consequences of ruptured silicone implants are characterized by symptoms of acute or chronic liver illness and chronically increased liver enzymes.
The process leading to silicone implant rupture and associated leaking is probably multifactorial. Numerous mechanisms, such as implant trauma and the alleged shell swelling phenomena, have been put forth. Following implant insertion, a condition known as shell swelling develops. It is characterized as a loss of shell strength brought on by the movement of silicone fluid from the gel toward the shell. Implant rupture may be caused by failure at the point of the implant's fold. As a result, implant folding occurs more frequently when there is a long-lasting capsular contracture.
How Is Liver Damage Caused by Breast Plastic Surgery Treated?
Treatment options may include drugs, surgeries, or other procedures to repair damaged liver. If breast plastic surgery results in liver damage, medication may be given to ease the symptoms and prevent further liver damage. In severe cases, a transplantation of the liver may be necessary. Medication can be used to control symptoms, lower inflammation, and assist with liver function. Hospitalization may be necessary for close surveillance and treatment in cases of acute liver injury. A liver transplant may be an option in extreme situations if the liver damage is severe and permanent. This is often the last option and is only taken into account when all other treatment options have failed.
Conclusion
The risk of liver damage following breast plastic surgery is relatively low. The likelihood of complications is often reduced by skilled surgeons performing plastic surgery treatments in sterile, controlled environments using proper techniques. In order to make sure that patients are good candidates for surgery any pre-existing health concerns are taken into consideration and pre-operative evaluations are done.
