Easier Breast Feeding After Implant Removal?

asked 3 years ago by vegan princess in san francisco, ca
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 893 times
Tags: breasts, breast feeding

I've had saline breast implants for 10 years (under the muscle and through the nipple). I am having difficulty nursing my daughter. With the help of medication to increase milk production I make roughly half of her intake. If I remove my implants after I am through nursing, will I have more success nursing my next child? Or is all the damage already done? I know nerve damage and damage to milk ducts is key, but can the fullness from the implant also inhibit milk production?

11 answers to Easier Breast Feeding After Implant Removal?

Easier Breast Feeding after Breast Implant Removal?

Unfortunately, removal of your breast implants will not necessarily improve your ability to breast-feed. In other words, the breast implants may be a “nonfactor” in your ability to breast-feed; on the other hand, any “damage” to lactiferous ducts has already occurred ( and will not be reversed with breast implant removal). Best wishes.

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Breast feeding difficulty after Breast Implants

Women undergoing breast augmentation have a very small risk of having difficulty breast feeding after having breast implants placed under the muscle. But not all women can breast feed. When you consider the population as a whole, not all women can breast feed even if they have not had breast augmentation surgery. When studies were performed on the effect of breast augmentation on breast feeding, over 90% of patients who breast fed their first child were able to breast feed their... more

Ankit Desai, MD
Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon

Implants and breast feeding

Just because implants may be removed will not have any effect on your milk production now or in the future.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Effect of breast implant removal (explantation) on nursing

In my opinion, implant removal will not have an effect either way (better or worse) on your ability to nurse your next child.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Could depend on the size of you breast implant.

Interference with lactation is one of the known risks of performing any type of breast surgery. However, there is a distinct subset of women who are unable to breast feed regardless of their breast surgical history. Some women just do not make a decent amount of breast milk. It is possible (hypothetically) that if a woman with a very small amount of breast tissue is augmented with an excessively large breast implant size, the implant itself could be compressing the milk ducts in... more

Kevin Brenner, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Implant volume does not effect milk production

Breast feeding does not work for every woman. Although studies show that a significant portion of woman with breast implants have difficulty breast feeding, a big reason why that is so, is that they had small breast tissue to start with. There is no evidence that removing the implants will increase milk production!

Robert M. Freund, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Removal of breast implants will not affect breast-feeding

It is possible to breast feed after having received a breast augmentation. Your success in breast-feeding will depend on the technique that was used initially to place the implants and the amount of disruption in the breast tissue itself. The breast implants have thinned out the overlying breast tissue and skin over time. Whether you leave the implants in place or remove them will not alter your ability to breast-feed at this time.

B. Pat Pazmino, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Probably not

Additional damage could be incurred from further surgery which may make things worse in trying to breast feed. I would wait until you are finished breast feeding to have additional surgery if preservation of breast feign is a priority. Best Regards.

John P. Di Saia, MD
Orange Plastic Surgeon

Breast feeding after Breast Implants

Breast feeding after implants is dependent on the hormonal sensitivity of the breasts and the status of the ducts. Predicting whether or not lactation will improve after breast implant removal is purely conjecture and cannot be predicted.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Won't likely change your ability to breast feed

Removing your breast implants will most likely not effect your ability to make more breast milk. I always tell patients that have not had children prior to augmentation, there is no way to predict how much milk you would produce even if you didn't have the implants. Some literature supports a decreased ability from using the peri-areolar incision but there are plenty of plastic surgeons whose experience would refute that. Take care. Dr Edwards

Michael C. Edwards, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

Removing Implants

Removing the implants will not benefit you or help you in breast feeding. It is possible that it was your implant surgery that affected your breast feeding. However, it is possible that you were not about to breast feed in the first place. Not every woman who desires or tries to breast feed is able to breast feed. In most cases about 2/3 of women are able to breast feed in general.