For women receiving breast implants during reconstructive or cosmetic breast surgery, scarring around the implant – called capsular contracture – is a common, costly, and painful complication. The anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, might help to avoid abnormal capsule formation suggests an experimental study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Mice fed omega-3 fatty acids had reduced capsule formation occurrence around implants – likely due to reduced collagen deposits – according to the research by Giuseppe A.G. Lombardo, M.D.,Ph.D., of Cannizzaro Hospital in Catania, Italy and Serena Tamburino, MD, of Chi.Pla Plastic Surgery in Catania, Italy, and colleagues. “We believe that omega-3 supplement is a simple and promising method that could be used to prevent or at least reduce capsular contracture after silicone implant surgery,” the researchers write.