Breast augmentation is one of the top cosmetic surgeries at our Shreveport, LA, practice, and it has been the most popular aesthetic surgery in the U.S. since 2006. Even though the procedure is well known, there are a few issues about the procedure that most patients don’t think to research.
In this blog post, we’ll review some important but often-ignored facts about breast enhancement.
Warranties: what should I know before getting breast implants?
Mentor made headlines a few years ago by becoming the first implant manufacturer to introduce a lifetime warranty for breast implants. Their warranty covers all of their MENTOR® MemoryGel® and MemoryShape® breast implants and comes on the heels of some other impressive warranty programs introduced by their competitors.
Natrelle® also offers lifetime replacement in case of deflation or rupture, and an IDEAL Implant® is replaceable in cases of rupture, deflation, or some cases of capsular contracture.
Most of the breast implants offered at our Shreveport, Louisiana practice come with warranties, but the conditions of the warranty may vary depending on the patient’s individual circumstances. A good warranty can offer you plenty of peace of mind about your investment and your well-being. What’s remarkable about the ever-expanding warranties being offered is how clearly they demonstrate the manufacturers’ confidence in their products.
Is there a way to manage surgical pain without opioids?
Yes! When my patients ask me about pain, our surgeons can truthfully reassure them that any discomfort they experience after surgery likely won’t be as bad as they anticipated, thanks largely to our pioneering use of a remarkable product called EXPAREL®.
Dr. Holly Wall and Dr. Simeon Wall Jr. co-wrote an article for Surgical Aesthetics magazine in which they describe their experience with EXPAREL. EXPAREL is an extremely long-acting local anesthetic that we inject at the surgical site during surgery. Since we started regularly using EXPAREL, our patients have reported significantly less pain after surgery. Many of them don’t even need to use any oral opiate medications. EXPAREL has generated so much interest among plastic surgeons all over the world that Dr. Simeon Wall Jr. frequently lectures on it, both here in the U.S. and around the world.
Years ago, we started using EXPAREL for all tummy tuck and Mommy Makeover patients, and it’s been a game-changer for our surgeons and our patients. We also get a lot of referrals for revision breast augmentation surgeries at our practice, and many of these women have a history of pain with breast surgery. We offer EXPAREL to help alleviate their fears about the pain after surgery and to help them enjoy a positive experience after the disappointments of past surgeries.
What percentage of breast implants rupture?
Today’s silicone gel breast implants last longer and provide better results than ever before, but they aren’t designed to last forever. Our plastic surgeons use techniques that significantly extend implant longevity. In fact, our patients experience an astonishingly low rate of rupture—roughly 1 in 1,000.
We already knew from experience that our patients’ breast implants lasted longer than average. A recent 10-year study of rupture rates was conducted by Mentor showing that, out of the 4,999 Mentor MemoryGel® implants placed by The Wall Center surgeons, there were 5 reported ruptures.
That’s a rupture rate one-tenth of one percent (0.1%). Compare that to the national rupture rate of 5.6%—still quite low, yet 56 times higher than The Wall Center’s rate. To say our numbers are exceptional would be an understatement.
There are several reasons for The Wall Center’s extremely low rupture rate, and you can rest assured that you’re in good hands with our skilled surgeons.
If you’ve been considering breast implants, request a consultation at our Shreveport practice using the online form or call us at (318) 562-1433 to schedule an appointment.
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