Corrective Breast Surgery in Edinburgh
Corrective breast surgery covers the range of revision work that follows a previous breast operation — implant exchange, asymmetry correction, scar revision, nipple correction, and complex cases where more than one of these comes into play. The conversation at Waterfront starts with an honest assessment of what is fixable, what is not, and what trade-offs the right next step involves.
Overview
- TYPE OF ANAESTHETIC
General - LENGTH OF SURGERY
1-2 Hours - HOSPITAL STAY
Day case - RECOVERY
1-2 weeks off work, 6 weeks before strenuous exercise
Common reasons for corrective breast surgery
Patients come to corrective breast surgery for a wide range of reasons. The most common include:
- Capsular contracture: hardening of the scar capsule around an implant, often causing visible distortion or discomfort.
- Implant rupture: confirmed on imaging or suspected because of a change in breast shape or symptoms.
- Implant malposition: implants that have shifted — most often downward (bottoming out), outward (lateral displacement), or towards each other (symmastia).
- Rippling or visibility of the implant: particularly in patients with thin tissue cover.
- Asymmetry: either present from the original surgery or developed since.
- Loss of upper-pole fullness: commonly after years of having implants in place, particularly after pregnancy or weight change.
- A wish to change implant size or type after living with the original choice.
- Implant age: most manufacturers suggest considering exchange or removal after 10–15 years.
- Symptoms a patient associates with their implants (see our breast implant removal page).
- Unsatisfactory scar appearance from a previous breast operation.
- Nipple or areola position, size or symmetry not addressed by the original procedure.
Many cases involve more than one of these together — for example, an ageing implant with capsular contracture and a degree of asymmetry. The right corrective approach is decided in consultation.
What the procedure involves
Corrective breast surgery is not a single operation but a category of operations, planned individually around what your case actually needs. The most common procedures performed at Waterfront include:
- Implant exchange: removing the existing implant and replacing it with a new one — to address capsular contracture, rupture, malposition, rippling, or simply to change implant size or type.
- Implant removal: with the option of uplift, fat transfer, or auto-augmentation in the same operation. See our breast implant removal page for detail.
- Asymmetry correction: addressing differences in size, shape or position between the breasts that have developed or been left unaddressed by previous surgery.
- Capsule surgery: capsulectomy (removing the scar capsule) or capsulotomy (releasing it), where clinically indicated for capsular contracture.
- Nipple and areola correction: repositioning, resizing or reshaping the nipple-areola complex.
- Scar revision: improving the appearance of scars from previous breast surgery.
Most corrective operations are performed under general anaesthesia as day-case or short-stay surgery. The specific approach for your case is decided at consultation, after your consultant examines you, reviews any imaging, and — where helpful — discusses your previous operations in detail.
Benefits and expected outcomes
Corrective breast surgery can address:
- Capsular contracture, implant malposition, rippling and other implant-related complications
- Confirmed or suspected implant rupture
- Asymmetry that has been created or worsened by previous surgery
- Loss of upper-pole fullness or shape that has changed over time
- A wish to change implant size or type, or to come out of implants altogether
- Nipple or areola issues from previous surgery
- Unsatisfactory scars from previous procedures
What it does not always achieve: a result identical to your original goal, or perfect symmetry, particularly after multiple previous operations. Each operation leaves scar tissue and alters blood supply, which raises the technical bar of the next one. Your consultant will be honest at consultation about what is realistically achievable in your case — including, sometimes, the recommendation that no further surgery is the better answer.
Who is an ideal candidate?
Candidates for corrective breast surgery typically:
- Have had previous breast surgery and are either living with a complication or unhappy with the long-term result
- Are in good general health
- Have realistic expectations about what revision surgery can and cannot achieve
- Are non-smokers, or are willing to stop smoking before and after surgery to support healing (especially important in revision surgery)
- Are stable in weight
A consultation is a conversation, not a commitment to surgery. If we feel revision surgery is not the right answer for you — or that the result you are hoping for is not realistic given what previous surgery has left to work with — we will say so honestly.
Risks and considerations
Corrective breast surgery carries the same general risks as primary breast surgery, plus a set of risks specific to revision work. General risks include:
- Infection: as with any surgical procedure, there is a small risk of infection.
- Bleeding and haematoma: bleeding can occur during or after surgery; a collection of blood beneath the skin may need drainage.
- Scarring: corrective surgery often uses the existing scar, but the appearance of the final scar depends on how well the existing scar heals.
- Changes in nipple or skin sensation: temporary or, rarely, permanent.
- Anaesthesia risks: all anaesthetists involved in surgery at Waterfront are consultants in their own right.
Risks more specific to revision and corrective work:
- Higher overall complication rates: compared with primary breast surgery, because of altered blood supply, existing scar tissue, and the cumulative effect of multiple operations.
- Wound healing problems: particularly where skin and tissue have been operated on more than once.
- Asymmetry recurrence: revision surgery improves symmetry but cannot always make the two sides identical, especially in complex cases.
- Need for further revision: some cases need more than one operation to reach the final result.
- Implant-related risks, where implants are used or kept: lifelong maintenance, future capsular contracture, rupture, and breast implant–associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).
Specific risks for your case depend on what was done before and what is being done now. Your consultant will go through them in detail at consultation.
Aftercare and recovery
Recovery from corrective breast surgery depends on which procedure is performed. As a general guide, most patients take one to two weeks off work, avoid strenuous upper-body exercise for six weeks, and wear a support bra continuously for the first six weeks. Bruising and swelling are at their most noticeable in the first ten days and continue to settle over the following month. Final shape and scar settling take three to six months.
A nurse reviews you at one week, and more often if needed in the early healing period. Your consultant sees you again at around six months once the result has settled. Between then, your consultant is always available — if anything concerns you, they will respond directly and arrange to see you as soon as needed.
What is the cost of corrective breast surgery?
Cost depends on which corrective procedure is needed. Guide prices at Waterfront Private Hospital:
- Implant exchange (removal and replacement of implants): from £6,800
- Implant removal (without replacement): from £5,300, depending on complexity
- Implant removal with uplift: from £10,000
- En bloc removal with uplift (implant and capsule removed as a single unit, with uplift): from £13,500
- Nipple correction (one side): from £1,400
- Nipple correction (both sides): from £2,100
- Nipple reduction: from £2,100
- Scar revision, capsulectomy without implant exchange, and other corrective procedures: quoted individually after consultation
Each price covers the surgeon’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, the hospital and theatre fee, and all post-operative reviews until you are fully discharged.
The full price for your individual case can only be confirmed after a face-to-face consultation with the consultant who will perform your surgery, as corrective operations are tailored to what your case actually needs. Our consultation fee with a consultant plastic surgeon is £200.
Frequently asked questions
Will the same surgeon plan, perform and review my corrective surgery?
Yes. The consultant who assesses you at your first appointment is the consultant who plans your operation, performs it, and follows you through every post-operative review. There is no handover between assessment and surgery, no patient coordinator, and no surgeon rotation.
