Is Surgery Required to Deflate a Saline Implant?

While it would be best to have the implants removed, they can be deflated in the office very easily.  Just contact your plastic surgeon and let them know what you want and they should be able to deflate your implants as a simple office procedure under local anesthesia.

 

Good Luck.

Yes the implant can be deflated without surgery but needs to be done in a sterile setting preferrentially by a plastic surgeon.

First, please do not try this on your own at home.  You could introduce bacteria into a pocket with a foreign body and have a mess on your hands.  I would recommend having them both removed. If given the choice it is usually better to remove a foreign body that is not of benefit to you.  It is usually a straight forward procedure, but should still be done in a clean environment by your plastic surgeon.

This is one advantage of saline implants. It can be deflated in the office with one needle stick and the saline removed. I usually partially deflate them and allow for a slower natural deflation over the next few weeks. This way your breast and skin begin to tighten up without any skin distortion from scarring. You can leave the shells in there. In very thin women this might show through the skin. I remove them under local anesthesia through a 1" incision in the breast crease. See a plastic surgeon who is willing to do this simple procedure for you.

Yes, you can have the other one deflated-it takes a few minutes and we typically gine the patient an antibiotic-please make sure you have this done in a medical and sterile setting.

Hi Cynthia,Thank you for your question and pictures! It is possible to deflate the intact implant. through needle aspiration. This would be done under a local anesthetic. I recommend scheduling an in person consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in your area.
Best of luck!

Hello,

It is difficult to say what the implants might do if left in place. Delayed scarring or infection is potentially possible. Removal is advisable. This can at times be done in simple and low cost ways.

 

Best Regards,

 

John Di Saia MD

One of the advantages of saline implants is the ability to deflate them at any time.  Some women gain weight and breast size and no longer need or want the implants.  After pregnancy the tissue can stretch and cause ptosis (droopiness), or long term insertion of implants can stretch the tissues and lead to ptosis.  These are all valid reasons to have the implants deflated.

Deflating the implants is very easy and done in an office setting with just a drop of local anesthetic.  It takes about 5 minutes per side, with no pain or down time.  A needle is placed through the skin into the implant after the skin has been numbed and then hooked to a suction machine via a tube and VIOLA! your implant is empty.

Of course, you can leave the implant bags in place, they do no harm.  If you want you can have them surgically removed, but you don't have to.  Many women wait 4-6 weeks for the tissues to settle and re-evaluate for a possible lift procedure.  You can then take the bags out and perform a lift if you need one.  You can even have new implants placed if desired.  I perform at least one deflation a week and have not had any problems with infection or recovery.

Although it sounds easy enough (just deflate the implant yourself), it is NOT recommended. You could cause more problems for yourself.  Go see a certified surgeon and discuss this procedure. It is not a difficult procedure for someone to do but when a certified surgeon does it, you will more likely  reduce the potential risks associated with any surgical procedure.

Hi Cynthia,

I sometimes deflate saline implants followed by removal within 1-2 weeks.  I do this when a patient is not sure if she will like her breast size if the implant is removed.  I have not left one in long term and it would concern me-it is possible you might develop an infection.  Secondly, the one implant might not deflate to the same degree as the other.  Then you would need surgery to correct this.  Can you tell if there is any saline left on the right side?  If there is, you would have to think about exchanging the implants because you like this size.  If it is totally deflated and you like this size, then I would remove both implants.  Very simple to do.

Tracy M. Pfeifer, MD