Local Frederick Physician, Donald W. Kress, M.D., FACS
Women choose to have breast implants to enhance their appearance, make clothing fit better, and improve their self image. But occasionally, a troublesome infection called a biofilm can cause a condition called Capsular Contracture.
“Capsular Contracture can completely ruin the effect of cosmetic surgery by causing one or both breasts to become hard, unnatural and sometimes painful,” explained Donald W. Kress, M.D., FACS and Medical Director and Founder of the Kress Cosmetic Breast Center in Frederick, Maryland.
Now the Kress Cosmetic Breast Center is the only surgical center in the greater Mid-Atlantic region to offer a non-surgical treatment for this troublesome complication. Named “The New Aspen After Surgery Non-Surgical Treatment Program,” Dr. Kress has treated approximately 40 women from all over the East Coast.
“We’ve had extremely good success rates for all but the most severe (level four) cases of Capsular Contracture,” said Dr. Kress. He added that even for those severe cases,
“The New Aspen After Surgery Non-Surgical Treatment Program” does provide some relief from the discomfort.
Breast implants are the number one cosmetic plastic surgery procedure in the United States, with more than 300,000 procedures performed in 2009.
Dr. Kress, along with Dr. Roger Wixtrom, one of the world’s leading experts on both biofilms and breast capsular contracture, will be giving a lecture on this topic at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in Colorado in September.
Causes of Capsular Contracture
Biofilms, a type of chronic infection, is one of the principal culprits in Capsular Contracture. Here’s how it happens: During breast surgery, a pocket is made for the implant. As healing occurs, the body forms a natural lining, or capsule, of fibrous tissue around the implant. The body is programmed to shrink scar tissue to some degree, so under normal circumstances, the lining of the pocket remains open, which allows the implant to look and feel natural.
With Capsular Contracture, the internal scar around one or both implants tightens, causing distortion.
“A biofilm infection can be started by a very few bacteria, because they have the ability to adhere to the surface of an implant and resist the body’s normal immune response. The most common organism to cause this infection was considered a harmless natural skin bacteria. Knowing this allows us to modify our operating room techniques to prevent and deal with these bacteria, which should greatly reduce the incidence of contracture, explained Dr. Kress.
“Unfortunately, there is a second source of bacteria which can cause the Capsular Contracture. In our practice alone, we have seen three patients in three years who developed Capsular Contracture within weeks of having a dental cleaning, in spite of having stable implants for years. This appears to be coming from mouth bacteria that enter the blood stream during these procedures and establish themselves on the breast implant(s). This phenomenon is well-known for patients with artificial heart valves, damaged heart valves and artificial joints. For years, dentists and physicians have been prescribing antibiotics for these patients prior to cleanings, Dr. Kress noted.
A Leader in Cosmetic Breast Surgery
Dr. Kress, who is also the Founder and Medical Director for the Frederick-based Plastic Surgery One, has 28 years of experience, and has devoted more than 50 percent of his practice to breast surgery. He also has extensive experience in repairing and correcting problems from previous breast surgeries.
A nationally-known Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Kress was one of a handful of national clinical investigators selected for Sientra’s “Gummy Bear” cohesive gel implants. In addition to breast implants, Dr. Kress’ practice includes breast lifts, asymmetry and reductions (including breast reductions for men).
The Kress Cosmetic Breast Center and Plastic Surgery One are located at 1560 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, Maryland, 1-888-595-1955 www.plasticsurgeryone.com or www.KressCosmeticBreastCenter.com.
