Biofilm, Capsular Contractures, and Breast Implants. A new Journal article review.

Posted on April 27, 2016

shutterstock_40453528I do a lot of breast implant surgery.  I drank the water on biofilm and its association with capsular contracture (a low great infection / colonization of bacteria) years ago after I went the TIPS plastic surgery meeting.  All of the associations we knew about capsular contracture make sense when looking at it through the lens of a low grade infection.  Biofilm is not a traditional infection- it is not a red skin, tender, pus, fever  type infection, but a constantly irritated, constantly fighting at a low level infection.

This is a study out of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal March 2016.  “The Relationship of Bacterial Biofilms and Capsular Contracture in Breast Implants.”  For my prior blogs on biofilm click For blogs on biofilm .  This article is a summary of what we know and prior studies.  I won’t bore you with most of it.  As it says in the opening paragraphs, “It appears that microbial biofilms form on breast implants as well and might contribute to a chronic inflammatory response and thus formation of capsular fibrosis and subsequent contracture.”

How do you detect biofilm?

Okay. So we know there is an association. How do we prevent it?

So?

So I believe in this. I do most of the prevention things listed (other than nipple shields). I think there is real correlation here, and I want to prevent complications as much as I can.  Biofilm establishes early.  I would add to this list to do surgical skin prep for days ahead of surgery to “decontaminate” your skin as well. When you hear of breast implant illness, and those who feel bad from implants and feel better when they are removed, I do think biofilm and chronic inflammation could be the culprit.