Breast implant removal before and after photo courtesy of Dr. David Rankin, board-certified plastic surgeon in Jupiter, Florida. Results may vary.
Breast implant removal before and after photo courtesy of Dr. David Rankin, board-certified plastic surgeon in Jupiter, Florida. Results may vary.
Breast implant removal before and after photo courtesy of Dr. David Rankin, board-certified plastic surgeon in Jupiter, Florida. Results may vary.
Breast implant removal before and after photo courtesy of Dr. David Rankin, board-certified plastic surgeon in Jupiter, Florida. Results may vary.
Breast implant removal before and after photo courtesy of Dr. David Rankin, board-certified plastic surgeon in Jupiter, Florida. Results may vary.
Breast implant removal before and after photo courtesy of Dr. David Rankin, board-certified plastic surgeon in Jupiter, Florida. Results may vary.
When you had breast augmentation, you probably didnât imagine that youâd ever remove your breast implants. According to the latest statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 37,679 women underwent breast implant removal (aka explant surgery) in 2022.
âWomen want their breast implants removed for as many reasons as they want them placed,â says Dr. Melinda Haws, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Nashville.Â
Common reasons for explant surgery include a desire to address health concerns, implant failure, or complicationsâthough some women simply want a more natural aesthetic or smaller breasts.
Breast implant removal might be a good choice for you if:
1. Youâre unhappy with the way your breast implants look. âThe majority of women who have their breast implants removed do so because theyâd like to see some type of aesthetic change to their breasts,â says Dr. Camille Cash, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Houston.Â
Some women want to correct shifting, sagging, or changes due to age, weight fluctuations, or pregnancy.Â
Others simply want to return to their natural cup size. âMany women feel that their breasts, with implants, no longer match their body or their lifestyle,â says Dr. Haws. âThey may have gained weight, had a baby, gone through menopause, or taken up marathon running.âÂ
2. The scar tissue (or capsule) around your implants hardens or tightens. âSometimes the capsule can harden, become calcified, or shrink down around the implant, causing it to become firm, painful, or misshapen,â says Dr. Cash. This complication, known as capsular contracture, is the most common complication of breast implants.
3. One or both of your implants has leaked or ruptured. Studies of silicone gel implants, the most popular type, suggest that most implants last 7â12 years. However, some break during the first few months or years, while others may last more than 15 years.Â
Reported rates of implant rupture vary by implant type, from 3.9% to more than 16%. The likelihood of rupture increases every year you have your implants.Â
4. Youâre experiencing other symptoms you associate with your implants. While the FDA says it doesnât have definitive evidence suggesting breast implants are associated with these symptoms, it does say that âSome women experience systemic symptoms that may resolve when their breast implants are removed.â Women with pre-existing autoimmune conditions seem especially prone to implant-related symptoms.
Many women who undergo a breast implant removal procedure also choose to have a breast lift (mastopexy), fat transfer, or a combination of both to address sagging skin and volume loss. It all depends on your preferences and budget.
Pros
Cons
RealSelf Tip: If youâre considering removing your implants and your original surgeon says âyou look greatâthereâs no reason to take them out,â get a second opinion. This can be a challenge for women who believe they have breast implant illness, so you may need to contact a few surgeons until you find one you really connect with.
Your breast implant removal cost will depend on your plastic surgeonâs level of experience, their practice location, the type of explant surgery you have, and a few other key factors.
Combining breast implant removal surgery with a lift (mastopexy) or fat grafting may add thousands of dollars to your bill.
Most surgeons offer payment plans or accept third-party financing options like CareCredit, to help make explant surgery more affordable.
As you're choosing your surgeon, look for before and after explant pictures with symmetrical, natural-looking results and well-hidden scars. Photos with vertical scars running from the areola to the crease are a sign that the patient also had a breast lift, a common addition to explant surgery.
The breast implant removal photos in our gallery have been shared by the surgeon who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.
This is a highly customized procedure that can take anywhere from under an hour to over three hours, depending on your surgeonâs technique, whether youâre incorporating a breast lift or fat graft into your surgery, and if your surgeon is removing the scar-tissue capsules along with your implants (a procedure called a capsulectomy).Â
Whether a capsule should be removed is usually dictated by its grade (from 1 to 4), as defined by how it feels and looks. A thick, calcified capsule must be removed at the time of explant; otherwise, it may still be felt or seen beneath the skin.Â
Hereâs a quick overview of the main techniques. Your prospective surgeon should explain their recommendation in detail during your initial consultation.
After breast implant removal, youâll go to a recovery room for observation until your doctor clears you to go home. Youâll likely be given a surgical bra to wear as you recover, to encourage closure of the âpocketâ and minimize fluid that can lead to complications, like an infection.
You may or may not be asked to wear a compression garment after explant surgery; there's not a definitive answer as to whether it's necessary, says Dr. Thomas Trevisani, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Winter Park, Florida. "It does not appear that compression following explant is a guarantee to prevent fluid accumulation. It can't hurt, so if it is available, it would be a good idea to do it."
In some cases, doctors choose to insert thin surgical drains ,which are kept in place for three to five days after surgery to help prevent fluid accumulation.
This is an outpatient surgery. Make sure you have someone you trust there to take you home afterward and stay with you for at least the first night.
Related: 3 Women Describe What Breast Implant Removal Is Like
A breast lift (mastopexy) is often done at the same time as explantation, but many surgeons recommend waiting several months to assess the size, shape, and tissue quality of the breasts after implant removal.
âIn all implant removals, the tissues are stretched and thinned. But within a couple of months, they âfluffâ back up, giving a less deflated or âwrinkledâ result,â says Dr. Haws. Allow time for the tissues to retract before deciding whether a breast lift will improve you satisfaction.
In lieu of a breast implant removal and lift, some patients opt for fat transfer breast augmentation to restore some of the lost volume and avoid feeling flat after breast implant removal. Excess fat is removed from another area of the bodyâoften the abdomen, flanks, or thighsâvia liposuction and transferred to the breasts. Not all of the transferred fat survives, but what remains after four months is permanent.Â
Beyond correcting breast deflation after explant, fat transfer can also camouflage minor irregularities, like wrinkled skin, small divots, and asymmetries, that can occur post-explant.
While many women prefer to have these procedures at the same time as explant, âthey can also be done at a later date if the patient opts to see what implant removal alone does,â notes Dr. Jason Pozner, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Florida.Â
En bloc capsulectomy (or resection) means that the entire capsule surrounding the implant is removed intact, with the implant inside. Complete capsules are also removed during a total capsulectomy, but they may be extracted in pieces.
The en bloc procedure is indicated only in the case of a medically necessary breast implant removal, such as a silicone implant rupture or a diagnosis of BIA-ALCL, where itâs imperative to to remove the capsule without spillage.
In cases of breast implant illness, thereâs no scientific evidence to support en bloc capsulectomy, says Dr. Haws. In fact, a recent Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) study found that the type of capsulectomyâen bloc, total, or partialâdoes not affect symptom improvement.Â
The en bloc procedure is risky and has considerable limitations and drawbacks. Potential complications include punctured or collapsed lungs and large scars. Learn more.
Unless youâve had en bloc procedure, implant removal recovery tends to be easier than the initial surgery to place the implants. Youâll be sore, but pain is typically minimal, and narcotic pain medications arenât usually required for longer than a day or two.Â
You should be able to resume normal daily activities, like showering, eating, and walking, within 24-48 hours of surgery.Â
You may even be able to return to work after a day or two, as long as your job doesnât require heavy lifting.Â
Your total recovery time and restrictions on activity will depend on the type of surgical procedure you have and how you progress through the healing process.
 Your surgeon will help you assess that at follow-up appointments.
Youâll see smaller breasts immediately after you remove breast implants, but it will take time for any swelling and postoperative changes to subside before you see your end result.
According to Dr. McGuire, women need to be prepared for a significant difference in their breasts after implant removal. âMany of these women havenât seen their actual breasts for 10, 15, or more years, and theyâre 10 to 15 years older than they were when the implants were placed,â she says. âI tell them to be prepared for initial shock and some second-guessing when they see their now âage-appropriateâ breasts.â After a few weeks, she says, most of her patients are happier to have smaller breasts.Â
Results are permanent, but the aging process will continue, so breasts may lose firmness and fullness and start to sag. Dense breast tissue is replaced by fatty tissue as you get older, so if women gain weight, breasts often get bigger.
Related: Chrissy Teigen Posts Photos of Her Breast Implant Removal Scars
Many patients do feel better after removing their implants. There are also women who regret their decision to explant and wind up re-implanting. Much depends on the motivation for explanting and how well the tissues rebound.
As previously noted, removing breast implants means eliminating various risksâthe risk of rupture, capsular contracture, ALCL, aches and pains, future surgeriesâand this alone can bring relief. Many of those who explant due to BII symptoms claim to feel better, at least temporarily, once their breast implants are taken out.
The aforementioned ASJ study sheds light on symptom resolution following breast implant removal. The study evaluated three groups of women: patients who underwent implant removal for symptoms they attributed to their implants, those undergoing removal/exchange without symptoms attributed to implants, and women undergoing cosmetic breast lift who have never had any implanted medical device.Â
Symptom surveys were performed before surgery as well as 3-6 weeks, 6 months, and one year postoperatively.
As expected, âthe surveys before surgery showed the BII cohort to have many more symptoms, including brain fog, anxiety, and joint pain, than the two control cohorts,â says Dr. McGuire, a principal investigator on the study. âSix months postoperatively, 94% of the BII patients had at least partial symptom improvement.â
Breast implant revision surgery includes both removal and replacement with new implantsâlarger, smaller, or newer versions.
Breast implant technology has improved significantly in recent years, with safety improvements that include more rupture-resistant shells and more cohesive silicone gel that feels more natural.Â
Women who initially chose implants for breast reconstruction can have revision reconstruction using "flaps" taken from elsewhere on the body. âSome surgeons are using donor tissue for aesthetic reasons in case of explant, but these procedures are far more complicated and costly than traditional procedures,â Dr. Pozner cautions. They also come with a much longer recovery time and the risk of contour irregularities at donor sites.
Updated February 14, 2024