SHORT ANSWER
Capsular contracture is a complication of breast implant surgery in which the scar tissue that naturally forms around an implant tightens and hardens. It can make the breast feel firm, change its shape or cause discomfort. Severity is graded, and treatment depends on the grade and the symptoms.
How does capsular contracture happen?
The body forms a thin capsule of scar tissue around any implant, and this capsule is normally soft. In capsular contracture it thickens and tightens. The exact cause is not fully understood. Factors discussed in the medical literature include bacterial contamination, bleeding around the implant and individual differences in healing.
What are the signs?
Common signs are a breast that feels firmer than before, a change in the shape or position of the breast or implant, and discomfort or pain. Changes can develop gradually over months or years.
How is it graded?
Surgeons often use the Baker scale. Grade I is a soft breast that looks natural. Grade II is slightly firm but looks normal. Grade III is firm and visibly distorted. Grade IV is hard, distorted and often painful.
How is it treated?
Treatment depends on the grade and on how much the symptoms bother the person. Mild cases may only be monitored. More advanced cases may need surgery, which can involve releasing or removing the scar tissue capsule and replacing or removing the implant.
Implants placed in Turkey or Istanbul
If implants were placed abroad, for example in Istanbul, keep your implant record: the manufacturer, model, size and date of surgery. This helps a surgeon assess any later change, including capsular contracture, wherever you live. Ask in advance how follow-up and any revision surgery would be arranged after you return home.
Questions worth asking before having breast implants in Istanbul or elsewhere in Turkey:
- Which implant brand, model and size will be used, and will I receive an implant record?
- How will follow-up checks be arranged after I return from Turkey?
- Who would manage a complication such as capsular contracture, and where?
- Are my operation notes available to share with my doctor at home?
When to consult a doctor
Contact your surgeon if a breast becomes noticeably firmer, changes shape or becomes painful.