Do plastic surgeons recommend the Aspen Technique as an alternative to capsular contraction corrective surgery and are there any studies to show results. I cannot find any surgeons in the area that offer such technique.
There may be studies out there but I am unable to find any on pubmed which suggest that this is effective. I can you tell that anyone who has held a thick capsule in their hands will have a hard time believing that anything but surgery can address it with lasting results.
I have only seen the Aspen system work for a Baker II capsule, when the breast is starting to feel a little firmer than it should. I have not seen it reverse Baker III capsular contracture and I don’t think it is an alternative to surgical correction.
Thank you for sharing your excellent question. Aspen does not work well with any significant capsular contracture, as surgery is typically employed to correct the hardened scar tissue. Hope this helps.
Thanks for your question. I believe that there is currently a trial for Grade 3 capsular contracture but to my knowledge this hasn’t been proven to be effective for higher grade capsular contracture such as grade 3 or 4. If you go this route please know that you may not get any relief and will have spent a lot of money on this
Aspen ultrasound may help but despite more than 10 years of making claims, there is no well designed independent study to confirm this. So while it seems to work in some cases, more advanced cases of contracture, are less likely to respond. Ask your surgeon if montelukast would be appropriate.
When Aspen first came on the scene I sent several patients to them. At that time the treatments were relatively expensive, requiring multiple visits to their clinic. Patients reported a significant amount of discomfort with the procedure which consisted of vigorous massage of the implant and ultrasound. Aspen has also marketed to surgeons to purchase their equipment and perform the treatments in their own offices. It may be possible to call them and find someone in your area who is using this modality. Nonetheless, in my experience the results are not predictable and work on the softer, less aggressive capsules. Best of Luck Dr Harrell
The Aspen technique has been effective in some patients with early contracture. Most of the time, contractures require capsulectomy. It is my practice to use a dermal matrix in the revision if the implant is already under the muscle In those patients who are subglandular, I change them to the submuscular pocket and offer the ADM as well.