Restore Balance and Shape with Breast Revision
Breast revision and implant exchange surgery designed to improve size, shape and symmetry. Correct complications and create natural, balanced results that align with your goals.
Refine or Restore Your Results with Breast Revision
Breast revision surgery helps correct or enhance the results of a previous breast augmentation.
Some patients experience changes over time. Others develop complications. Many simply want a different size, shape, or implant type.
Whatever the reason, revision surgery offers a safe and effective way to restore comfort and achieve results that feel more like you.
At Balikian Plastic Surgery, Dr. Tyler Frew provides individualized breast revision procedures focused on symmetry, support and a natural appearance.
Benefits of Breast Revision Surgery
Breast revision surgery corrects concerns that arise after breast augmentation or breast lift surgery. It is not always due to a problem or error.
Many patients request revision because their aesthetic preferences have changed. Others need correction for issues such as asymmetry, rippling, implant rupture, capsular contracture or implants that no longer match their lifestyle.
Revision surgery may involve implant exchange, implant removal, scar tissue release, pocket modification or reshaping the breast for a more lifted, proportional look.
What Are the Benefits of Breast Revision Surgery?
Breast revision can address cosmetic concerns, correct complications or simply refine previous results.
Benefits include:
- Change implant size
- Improve breast volume and density
- Remove unwanted implants for a natural look
- Replace damaged or ruptured implants
- Adjust implant position or pocket shape
- Correct asymmetry or uneven contours
- Reduce rippling or visible wrinkling
- Resolve capsular contracture
- Improve breast softness and feel
- Reduce discomfort or tightness
- Restore confidence in your appearance
Whether you want a subtle improvement or a complete transformation, breast revision supports both cosmetic and functional goals.
Balanced, Beautiful Results
Why Breast Revision Surgery Is Performed
Breast revision is performed to correct issues that develop after breast augmentation, improve previous results or adjust the breasts to better align with your current goals.
Over time, changes in implants, breast tissue or personal preferences can make revision the right choice.
Asymmetry
Asymmetry occurs when one breast appears different in size, shape or position compared to the other. This may develop from natural anatomical differences, implant placement or changes that occur after pregnancy or weight fluctuations.
Breast revision allows Dr. Frew to adjust the implant pocket, exchange the implant or reshape the breast tissue to restore proportional balance and create a more harmonious look.
Bottoming Out
Bottoming out happens when an implant drops too low on the chest and the natural breast fold loses definition. This may result from tissue stretching, lack of internal support or an implant that was not the right size for the original pocket.
Dr. Frew corrects this by reinforcing the internal breast structure, tightening the lower portion of the pocket or selecting a more appropriate implant to restore lift and proper positioning.
Changing Implant Size
Many patients choose revision simply because their preferences have changed. You may want a smaller implant for a lighter, more natural appearance or a larger implant for greater volume.
Revision surgery provides the opportunity to update your look, refine proportions and select an implant that fits your current lifestyle and aesthetic goals.
Capsular Contracture
Capsular contracture occurs when the body forms a tight, thickened layer of scar tissue around the implant. This can cause firmness, discomfort, changes in shape or visible distortion.
Revision typically involves removing the scar tissue and placing a new implant in a healthier pocket. This restores softness, improves symmetry and reduces discomfort.
Implant Rippling
Rippling refers to visible waves or wrinkles on the surface of the implant that show through the skin. This is more common in patients with thinner breast tissue or saline implants.
Revision often includes switching to a silicone implant, adjusting the placement to a submuscular pocket, or adding structural support to create a smoother, more natural contour.
Implant Rupture
Ruptures can occur in both saline and silicone implants. Saline ruptures are noticeable because the implant deflates. Silicone ruptures are often silent and discovered through imaging.
Revision surgery removes the damaged implant, cleans the pocket if necessary and replaces it with a new implant that restores shape and symmetry.
Symmastia
Symmastia happens when the implant pockets merge, causing the breasts to sit too close together at the center of the chest. It can occur due to oversized implants, improper placement or tissue weakening.
Dr. Frew reconstructs the internal support system and reshapes the pockets to restore natural spacing and a more balanced contour.
How Long Is Recovery After Breast Revision Surgery?
Recovery depends on the complexity of the revision.
Most patients experience:
- Return to light activity in 1 to 2 weeks
- Reduced swelling in several weeks
- Softening and settling over 2 to 3 months
- Complete healing in 6 to 8 weeks for complex revisions
- Continued refinement for up to one year
You will receive detailed aftercare instructions, follow up visits and ongoing guidance to ensure safe, predictable healing.
Optimized Recovery With Photobiomodulation Light Therapy
To support healing after breast revision, Dr. Frew incorporates photobiomodulation light therapy.
This gentle, noninvasive treatment uses specific wavelengths to:
- Reduce inflammation
- Enhance circulation
- Support cellular repair
- Ease tenderness around revision sites
- Improve comfort during early healing
Sessions are quick, comfortable and customized based on whether you had capsulectomy, implant exchange, pocket reconstruction or fat grafting.
Light therapy complements proper aftercare, including support garments, limited activity and follow up assessments.
Are You a Candidate for Breast Revision Surgery?
Determining whether breast revision is right for you starts with understanding the concerns you are experiencing and how they affect your comfort, confidence or breast appearance.
You may be a good candidate if you are experiencing:
- Capsular contracture
- Implant rupture
- Rippling or visible edges
- Implant malposition
- Asymmetry
- Sagging after weight change or pregnancy
- A desire to change implant size or type
- Discomfort from an old implant or capsule
During your consultation, Dr. Frew evaluates your anatomy, implant history and goals to create a personalized surgical plan that restores balance and shape.
Breast Revision FAQs
What is breast revision surgery?
Breast revision surgery is a procedure that corrects or improves the results of a previous breast augmentation or breast surgery. It can address complications such as capsular contracture, rupture, rippling, or malposition, or simply refine size and shape to better match your current goals.
Why do women choose breast revision?
Women choose breast revision for many reasons, including discomfort, visible changes in implant position, firmness from scar tissue, or a desire to change implant size or remove implants altogether. Large series show that capsular contracture, implant malposition, and aesthetic concerns are among the most common reasons for revision.
When should I consider breast revision surgery?
You may want to consider revision if your breasts no longer look or feel the way you want, if you notice changes in shape or size, or if you develop firmness, pain, or visible distortion. An in person exam and imaging when needed help determine whether a revision can improve comfort, aesthetics, or both.
How soon after my first breast surgery can I have a revision?
In most cases, surgeons recommend waiting at least six months to one year after your initial surgery before planning an elective revision so that swelling can resolve and the implants can fully settle. If you have a serious complication such as infection or confirmed rupture, earlier intervention may be appropriate.
What problems can breast revision correct?
Breast revision can address capsular contracture, implant rupture, rippling, implant malposition, bottoming out, symmastia, asymmetry and size concerns. Studies on implant based surgery show that these are the primary long term complications that may lead to reoperation or revision.
Can breast revision improve sagging or asymmetry?
Yes. Breast revision often includes pocket adjustments, implant exchange, or combining revision with a breast lift to improve sagging or unevenness. Careful planning can restore more youthful position and symmetry while maintaining natural proportions.
How do I know if I need breast revision or a breast lift instead?
If your main concern is implant related, such as firmness, rippling, or size, revision may be the right option. If your nipples sit low on the breast, or the breast tissue sags over the implant, a lift with or without implant adjustment may be recommended. In many cases, Dr. Frew combines a lift and revision to address both shape and support.
Do I have to change my implants during revision?
Not always. Some revisions focus on adjusting the implant pocket, releasing scar tissue, or lifting the breast without changing the implant itself. However, research shows that when capsular contracture or rupture is present, exchanging the implant at the same time as capsule surgery helps reduce the risk of recurrent problems.
Can I change the size of my implants during revision?
Yes. Many patients use revision surgery as an opportunity to go larger or smaller, or to choose a different implant profile for a more proportionate look. Long term follow up data show that a portion of revisions are driven by patient preference rather than complications, and size change is a common request.
What is capsular contracture and how is it treated?
Capsular contracture happens when the scar tissue around an implant tightens and becomes thick, which can cause firmness, distortion, or discomfort. Current evidence supports capsulectomy or capsulotomy combined with implant exchange and often a change in pocket plane as the most effective treatment to improve shape and reduce recurrence.
Can I change the size of my implants during revision?
Yes, many patients take the opportunity to go larger, smaller, or switch to a different implant type or shape.
What is capsular contracture and how is it treated?
Capsular contracture is scar tissue tightening around the implant, causing firmness or pain. Treatment may involve capsulectomy (removal of scar tissue) with implant replacement.
What about loose skin?
If your skin has stretched over time or after weight changes and implant removal or downsizing is planned, loose skin can become more noticeable. In these situations, revision may be combined with a breast lift or skin tightening pattern to restore a more lifted, youthful contour.
Will there be new scars?
Breast revision often uses existing incisions when possible, but additional or extended incisions may be needed for capsular work, pocket changes, or lifting the breast. Studies of revision and reconstructive procedures show that scar quality usually improves over time with proper technique and aftercare.
What if Dr. Frew was not my original surgeon?
You do not need to return to your original surgeon for revision. Dr. Frew frequently evaluates patients who had surgery elsewhere, reviews their prior operative history when available and designs a revision strategy tailored to their current anatomy and goals. A fresh perspective can be especially helpful when addressing long standing issues.
Elite Surgical Skill in Breast & Body Aesthetics
Dr. Tyler Frew is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon specializing in aesthetic surgery of the breast and body.
He is known for delivering natural-looking results through advanced techniques in breast enhancement, tummy tuck, liposuction, and mommy makeover procedures.
Dr. Frew combines surgical expertise with compassionate, patient-focused care, helping each individual restore confidence and achieve their personal aesthetic goals.
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The Balikian Experience
Patients trust Dr. Tyler Frew for his warm, personalized approach, advanced surgical techniques and results that look natural and refined.
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Richard V. Balikian, MD, FACS
Double Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon
Balikian Facial Plastic Surgery: Richard V. Balikian, MD, FACS
Tyler Frew, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon