Capsules are scars. They completely envelop the breast implant, just like a lining in your clothes pocket will surround a balloon if you put a balloon in your pocket.
Scar capsule can shrink. Since we do not know why, the least we can do is to observe exactly what happens.
The capsule may shrink at any time. It might happen just months after the breast implant procedure was done, and it can also happen many years after the breast augmentation was done. It can happen at any time.
The capsule may shrink in one breast or both. Obviously if it occurs on one side only then the breasts will become different.
The capsule may not shrink evenly or uniformly. By this I mean that parts of the capsule might shrink only. If the lower part shrinks, it will squeeze the breast implant upwards and cause displacement. This means that the affected breast implant will be too high and cause an unnatural bulge in the upper chest on the affected side. Sometimes, the patient thinks the breast is growing bigger. This is because she is either looking down at the bulge as it goes higher or she sees it in the mirror. Actually, it is not growing. The breast implant is just moving upwards.
We must first analyze what has happened before we can decide on the most appropriate treatment or management.
Next week lets think about what might cause capsular contracture and how frequently if occurs. In subsequent blog episodes I will also explore what our current thoughts are for treatment or management of capsular contracture around breast implants.
If you have capsular contracture please comment and add your thoughts to this blog.