Jeena on capsule removal

[Guest guest]

I found this....thought it was written very well!

http://runningrace.freeyellow.com/explantation/en_bloc.html

The Reasons I Advise Women to Have Explantation " En Bloc "

by Jeena

(Jeena's Story may be found under " Our Stories " )

I am not a Dr., but I have received literally hundreds of emails

from women concerning breast implants and explantation. From my own

observation, the women who had their implants removed without

removing the surrounding capsule are not as pleased as those who

have.

The body has a defense strategy when an invading foreign substance

enters. It's plan of attack is to surround the enemy, take control

and attack. Think of it as a " war " . Some women claim to be handling

this ongoing war just fine, but as in many other issues, some women

are more sensitive to this process. The implants become surrounded

by a capsule, in the body's attempt to contain the material from

invading more of the tissues.

Unfortunately, this capsule often can't do this, and the substance

can escape the capsule. But many times, the material is contained

within the capsule. When the capsules are studied by pathologists,

they find many strange things. The cells can change, and react in a

allergic type reaction. This capsule seems to be the same type

tissue that surrounds joints, and is often referred to as synovial

tissue. It can be thin or thick, and the pathological readings on

our synovial tissue can be a real indicator as to whether those

implants were " agreeing with " our system or not.

This capsule is not a normal thing to have in a breast, needless to

say. When it is left behind, it often causes the woman further

problems down the road. If there is silicone in the tissue, it can

interfere with mammogram readings, I am told. It can also

deteriorate or change in size or shape. Many women end up going back

to another surgeon to have this tissue removed.

Some have shared they actually feel " sicker " and have as much or

more pain after explantation when they have not had it " en bloc " .

Another serious thing to consider, is the fact that they have to

puncture the capsule in order to get that implant out of the body.

If there are any infections, chemicals, bacteria, pieces of implant

shell, silicone from bleed or rupture, this stuff not only stays

inside the body, but by being ruptured can contaminate the

surrounding tissues. The ideal scenario when removing implants is to

get the entire capsule removed, implants inside, with no break in

the capsule. This cannot always be accomplished, because some of us

have had to have silicone and/or capsule tissue scraped from

surrounding tissues.

I hope you can see by now how important it is to get a surgeon who

is capable of doing this. You need one who can track and removed

anything that has been spilled or damaged outside the capsule. It is

vitally important that it is someone who can detect healthy,

unhealthy tissue, discern what is safe to leave in the body and what

should be removed. You need someone who knows anatomy so well they

can do this procedure without damaging nerves and who is talented

enough to give you a good asthetic outcome.

Often, when plastic surgeons insert implants, they are so high or so

large they can get horribly close to a nerve that causes many of us

to lose feeling in our hands. Some have continual hand sensation

of " going to sleep " , tingling, numbness and/or pain when it " wakes

up " . I am told the reason is this nerve being stressed and at times,

even CUT by the process of implantation. A good explantation Dr.

knows what to look for, and carefully removes the implants so as not

to damage these nerves.

I am not telling you all this to frighten you from having the

implants removed. On the contrary, my descriptions are for two

reasons: 1. To illustrate that implants in the body have a cause and

effect on the tissues in your body and why. 2. Once they have done

this, it is vitally important to remove them PROPERLY.

Plastic surgeons don't usually LIKE removing implants en bloc. It

requires more skill to remove them properly. It also takes much more

time, requiring longer time under anesthesia, and all surgery has a

certain amount of risk. They may make more money putting implants

IN, than taking them out, because they can certainly insert more

than they can explant in one day. Also the immediate gratification

and esthetic outcome is much better. Most women LOVE implants at

first and almost see their surgeon as a " savior " in the beginning.

My advice to you is to go to a surgeon who has NO HESITATION about

removing your implants " en bloc " . If he appears reluctant, run. If

he tells you he can't make you look as good as if he replaces your

implants...RUN. He is probably telling you the truth and has not

been pleased with his skills in shaping and correcting the problems

caused by having implants. There are plastic surgeons who specialize

in correcting the problems implants have caused, and these are the

ones we advocate using.

I know this is long, but our desire is for you to go into

explantation fully informed, and aware of your situation. We

encourage you to do this, because if you eventually intend to be

explanted at anytime, you MUST know that your result will be much

better, the sooner you have it done. Time is your worst enemy.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. That is what we

are " here " for.