Will radiation affect my breast implants?

Side effects of radiation therapy on breast implants Radiation therapy can cause scarring and hardening of the implant, leading to a poor cosmetic look and/or chronic pain in the breast area. In these cases, the implant may need to be removed.

How does radiation affect silicone?

Radiotherapy may alter silicone shell permeability and predispose gel bleeding. Adjuvant radiotherapy to silicone implants resulted in earlier detected complications on BMRI. Radiotherapy and silicone implants are associated to a new disease in patients cured from breast cancer.

Does radiation cause capsular contracture?

We conclude that radiation therapy of prosthetic breast reconstruction does increase the rate of capsular contracture. Therefore, we counsel our implant reconstruction patients that the risk of capsular contracture is increased if subsequent radiation therapy is required.

Can you have implants after radiotherapy?

If you are having radiotherapy after surgery, it might change how the reconstruction looks. Your doctor might advise you not to have implant reconstruction if you are having radiotherapy afterwards. But you can have a temporary implant during radiotherapy and a second reconstruction operation after the radiotherapy.

Do breasts shrink after radiation?

Some women develop a hardening or thickening of the breast tissue after radiotherapy. This is called fibrosis. The breast may also shrink slightly over time. This can cause the breast to become harder and smaller than it was.

How do you prevent capsular contracture after radiation?

In order to prevent the formation of capsule contracture, various methods the prosthesis pouch with various substances, using fibrin glue, preventing hematoma, using silicone outer surfaces in different tissues and placing the prosthesis in different anatomical locations were tried.

What causes breast implants to harden?

Sometimes, as the tissue begins to heal after surgery, a capsule of scar tissue forms to hold the implant in place. When this scar tissue squeezes the implant, it causes the breast to harden or become distorted.

How long after radiation can you get implants?

Some surgeons advise patients to wait until after radiation and chemotherapy are finished before having reconstruction. This means reconstruction might be done 6 to 12 months after mastectomy or lumpectomy. Reconstruction also can be done years later if desired.

How long do breast implants last after reconstruction?

One can expect your implant to last approximately 10 to 15 years. Since a woman may not always feel or see when a rupture in her implants has occurred, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) may be needed every few years to monitor for any sign of trouble.

What does breast look like after radiotherapy?

After radiotherapy, the skin of the breast may change colour. It may become darker with a blue or black tinge. It may also be more sensitive. It is important to protect the area from strong sunlight by covering up with clothes or using a sun cream with a high sun protection factor (SPF).

Does radiation on left breast affect the heart?

“Women who’ve had radiation, in particular to the left breast, have a potentially higher rate of cardiac complications down the road,” explained Dr. Shah, who added that heart-sparing radiation techniques can reduce the doses of radiation that reach the heart by 50 to 75 percent below the national standard.

Who is most at risk for capsular contracture?

Significant risk factors for capsular contracture were subglandular implant placement, periareolar incision site, and older device age in the augmentation cohort (p < 0.0001), older subject age in the revision-augmentation cohort (p < 0.0001), and higher body mass index (p = 0.0026) and no povidone-iodine pocket …