Breast revision is more than removing a problem implant; it is a second chance to get the choice right. Size, shape, surface type and even the pocket the implant sits in can all be reconsidered. JW Plastic Surgery in Sinsa, Seoul explains the decision points surgeons weigh when selecting implants for revision cases.
Size and projection: learning from the first result
Revision patients arrive with rare, valuable information: how their body responded to a known implant. If the first implant felt too heavy, rippled or stretched tissue, a revision may go smaller with higher cohesiveness; if the result felt deflated, a different projection profile may serve better than simply going bigger. Tissue thickness measured on exam sets the realistic range.
Surface and shell: smooth versus textured
Smooth round implants dominate current practice, partly because of textured-implant concerns, and they move more naturally in the pocket. Cohesive “gummy” gel maintains shape while feeling softer than older generations. In contracture cases, the surface decision is made together with capsule management, meaning removing or releasing scar tissue, because the capsule, not only the implant, caused the problem.
Pocket and plane: where the implant sits
Many revision problems trace to the pocket: too wide (lateral drift), too low (bottoming out) or a plane that shows edges on thin tissue. Revision frequently converts subglandular placements to dual-plane or submuscular coverage, or reinforces the pocket with internal suturing. The implant choice and pocket plan are inseparable, because the same implant behaves differently in different pockets.
JW Plastic Surgery’s breast revision program reviews your previous implant records, examines tissue condition and plans implant plus pocket together, with international patient consultation available. Bring your implant card if you have one; it makes the consultation markedly more precise.