Can your body reject breast implants?

[kaila08]

I have been thinking about getting breast augmentation for a couple of years now, but I have been worrying about a few things lately. When I was younger, I got my belly button pierced and my body rejected it. I also have had knee surgery and a screw was placed in my knee cap. After a year, the screw started to hurt and caused me numerous problems. The doctor told me that it was probably infected and it needed to be removed. I have been worrying that if I did get a boob job, my body could possibly reject the breast implants or cause an infection. Is this possible?

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

The formation of a very thick scar tissue capsule surrounding an implant occurs in a small per cent of patients undergoing breast augmentation.  This results in a very hard breast that can sometimes be painful.  This can be interpreted as "rejection" of the implant, but there are many theories as to its cause.  The primary recognized cause is an internal bleed immediately following the procedure.  Infection is a rare complication of this surgery.

The belly button reaction was either due to a metal allergy or an infection (as was your knee screw).  Neither of these problems indicate that you will have any complications with a breast augmentation.

[kaila08]

Thank you very much! This was very helpful.