Breast augmentations are very popular procedures, however, breast implants are temporary devices. Over time, it’s natural for breast implants and the tissue surrounding them to change. About a quarter of breast augmentation patients will get a breast revision 10 years after the initial procedure.

What to Expect

Your breast revision procedure will be tailored to your unique goals. Your breast implants should not be causing you pain or making you feel insecure, and we want you to feel confident with your breast size and appearance. As board-certified plastic surgeons, we are experts at handling delicate breast tissues, skin, fat, and muscular tissues to achieve noticeable yet natural-looking breast revision results.

Before your revision, we’ll meet with you during a consultation to talk about your goals, anatomy, and medical history. Based on your measurements, anatomy, and desired outcomes, we’ll recommend a treatment approach. We’ll also talk about the breast revision procedure, anesthesia, recovery instructions, and potential risks and benefits. Breast revisions are often combined with a breast lift or breast reduction.

On the day of your procedure, you will be checked in and taken to pre-op, where we’ll review the surgical plan and address any questions you have. We’ll take final measurements and will prep you for surgery before an anesthesiologist administers general anesthesia for your comfort.

Based on your anatomy, the type of implant, and your goals, we’ll typically make one of three incision patterns:

• Inframammary Incision: We’ll make a single 5 cm incision hidden in the crease under the breast.
• Lollipop Incision: We’ll make one incision around the areola, and a second from the bottom middle of the areola vertically down to the breast crease. This is also called the vertical incision pattern.
• Anchor Incision: We’ll make the same incisions as the lollipop, but with an additional inframammary incision along the breast crease. This is also called the inverted T or Wise incision pattern.
• Donut Incision: We’ll make an incision only around the areola. This is also called the periareolar incision pattern.

Through these incisions, we’ll remove or replace your implants. Based on your goals, we can use liposuction to remove fat tissue, reshape the breasts, address asymmetry, or resize or reposition the nipple and areola.

The procedure takes approximately two to three hours, and you can go home afterward. You will need somebody to drive you home, as you will not be able to operate a vehicle after anesthesia. We perform breast revisions as outpatient procedures at our accredited Northern Arizona SurgiCenter in Flagstaff.

Medical Review: This procedural information has been medically reviewed by plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Brian A. Cripe, M.D.