SURGICAL CAPSULE FORMATION DURING FIRST 3 MONTHS AFTER SURGERY: Cycling vs. leaving implant fully inflated
Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2024 11:28 am
Surgical capsules are formed around the implant cylinders and around the reservoir during the months after surgery. This takes about 3 - 6 months. Once formed, the capsule is NOT flexible. Therefore, a capsule that is smaller than the fully inflated cylinders will impede achieving full inflation in length and/or girth.
From another thread ( viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23840 ) there was a discussion about whether cycling will result in a fully extended capsule, or, whether it would be better to keep the cylinders fully expanded during these months of capsule formation.
Potential problems with cycling:
Cycling will not create a fully expanded capsule, since 95% of the time the implant will be deflated.
Potential problems with leaving implant fully (or partially) expanded:
This will do the job for creating surgical capsules around cylinders in their inflated state. However, it has been argued that the reservoir will be empty during this time and the surgical capsule around it that forms will impede its expansion when deflating the cylinders. One then basically has transformed a 3-piece implant into a malleable implant.
Also, it has been argued that leaving the implant fully expanded will result in tissue deterioration due to the constant pressure (?). If that is true then it should be true as well for malleable implants (which would definitely factor against using them).
A Catch-22 situation?
Unfortunately, I have yet to hear convincing arguments (other than "Dr. X said...") for the advantages of either option.
From another thread ( viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23840 ) there was a discussion about whether cycling will result in a fully extended capsule, or, whether it would be better to keep the cylinders fully expanded during these months of capsule formation.
Potential problems with cycling:
Cycling will not create a fully expanded capsule, since 95% of the time the implant will be deflated.
Potential problems with leaving implant fully (or partially) expanded:
This will do the job for creating surgical capsules around cylinders in their inflated state. However, it has been argued that the reservoir will be empty during this time and the surgical capsule around it that forms will impede its expansion when deflating the cylinders. One then basically has transformed a 3-piece implant into a malleable implant.
Also, it has been argued that leaving the implant fully expanded will result in tissue deterioration due to the constant pressure (?). If that is true then it should be true as well for malleable implants (which would definitely factor against using them).
A Catch-22 situation?
Unfortunately, I have yet to hear convincing arguments (other than "Dr. X said...") for the advantages of either option.