All procedures carry some risk. Having your procedure done in an accredited hospital minimises your risk during a procedure. The best way to categorise risks is to divide them into: the risks of having a general anaesthetic, things that can go wrong during the procedure, things that might happen in the first few weeks and things that might happen further down the track.

Generally speaking, patients undergoing elective surgery have very minimal risk, but it is a doctor’s duty to inform patients of all their material risks. Our consent package details these risks, but the following is a quick list.

Risks of having a general anaesthetic

•    Areas of lung collapse and pneumonia
•    Clots in the legs (DVT) which can move to the lungs (Pulmonary Embolism)
•    Allergies
•    Awareness
•    Death (risk in Australia is about one in a million, you are at more risk driving to and from the hospital)

Things that can go wrong in the operation

•    Bleeding
•    Damage to surrounding structures

Things that might happen in the first few weeks

•    Collections of fluid or blood within your breast
•    Sensation changes to the breast or nipple
•    Firmness
•    Delayed healing
•    Irritation from dressings

Things that might happen long term

•    Poor scars
•    Implant in a bad position
•    Implant rupture
•    Implant infection or capsule formation
•    Implant or skin rippling or wrinkling

The most important complication is capsular contracture. All implants elicit an immune response from the body, and the body forms a capsule around them. Over time, this capsule can harden and contract. There are multiple reasons that this may happen, but there is evidence gathering that low grade infection may be the most important factor. There are four grade of breast capsular contracture, called a Baker scale.

•    Grade I – the breast is normally soft and looks natural
•    Grade II – the breast is a little firm but looks normal
•    Grade III – the breast is firm and looks abnormal
•    Grade IV – the breast is hard, painful, and looks abnormal.
During your consultation, your plastic surgeon will explain all these risks, what they do to avoid and treat them, and the rates at which they occur.