- A new episode of "Botched" airing Wednesday night features a woman named Jessica whose breast augmentation went horribly wrong.
- After the surgery, one of her breasts filled up with pooled blood, and later, a family doctor told her she had an antibiotic-resistant MRSA infection.
- But in a teaser clip for the episode, Jessica said that her surgeon initially brushed off the complications.
- INSIDER spoke with plastic surgeon Dr. Alan Matarasso, who said that infections, and especially MRSA infections, are incredibly rare after getting breast implants.
- But if you notice signs of infection, like redness and heat, you should see your surgeon ASAP.
A new episode of "Botched" tells the story of a woman whose birthday present to herself — a pair of breast implants — went disastrously wrong. The woman, identified only as Jessica, appears in a teaser clip for the episode released by E! on Wednesday.
In the clip, Jessica explains to the show's hosts and resident plastic surgeons, Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif, that the day after her breast augmentation surgery, her left breast swelled up to twice the size of the right and the nipple was turning purple. She was experiencing a hematoma — a pooling of blood at the surgical site that required immediate attention, Dubrow said in the clip.
As time passed, Jessica's left nipple turned black and crusted over, and the surgical incisions were oozing and bleeding, she recalled. But her surgeon seemed to dismiss the symptoms.
"She looked and she said ... 'You're going to be fine,'" Jessica said in the "Botched" clip. "I knew it was infected. I could smell the infection. I just trusted her."
Later, Jessica said she visited her family doctor, who told her she did indeed have an infection — an infection with antibiotic-resistant MRSA bacteria. Ultimately, Jessica had to have her implants and part of her breast removed as a result of the complications.
"You didn't go to a surgeon," Dubrow said in the clip. "You went to an assassin."
The story is horrific, but it's doesn't reflect the typical breast augmentation experience.
Dr. Alan Matarasso, clinical professor of surgery at Hofstra University and president-elect of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, told INSIDER that breast augmentation is extremely common — it was the most popular plastic surgery in the US last year — and also generally safe.
Bleeding after the operation is the most common complication after getting breast implants, he said, but "infection is very low down the totem pole of things that happen."
Infections with MRSA bacteria — which can be fatal in serious cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — are even more of an anomaly. (As a refresher, MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a type of bacteria that can't be killed by the antibiotics normally used to treat staph infections. Some people get the infections in hospital or healthcare settings, the CDC notes.)
"MRSA after breast implants is extraordinarily rare," Matarasso said.
Still, post-surgery infection with MRSA or other bacteria is possible — and if you get a breast augmentation procedure, there are some key signs to watch for.
"It's going to be redness at the site [of surgery], heat, rising temperature. You might feel lousy. But the big things are often the redness and the heat," Matarasso said. (Sometimes, if it's really bad, he added, there may be pus draining from the area.)
In a case like this, he said, "the first thing is you need to have your plastic surgeon examine you." It's possible that redness could be part of the normal healing process, he added, and your surgeon can help determine what's normal.
Hopefully your surgeon won't be dismiss potentially problematic symptoms, the way Jessica said hers did on "Botched." One way to make sure you're getting the best possible care is finding a plastic surgeon who's board-certified.
The episode of "Botched" featuring Jessica's story airs Wednesday June 20 at 9 p.m. on E!.
This post has been updated.
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