Christina Y. Ahn, MD

Dr. Ahn is a true miracle worker! Not only did the breast-implant removal (explantation) she performed save my life, but she also gave me back my confidence by performing a fat-grafting procedure using my stem cells. I was reluctant after all I’d been through but I trusted her and thank goodness I did. It’s been over 10 years and my breasts are just as full as they were when she performed the fat-grafting procedure. I was so skinny and afraid that I didn’t have enough fat, but she worked her magic and made it happen. You would never know looking at me that I had had any of these procedures done. The stem cells in the fat helped heal the area. Not only is Dr. Ahn an incredible doctor but she is also a truly caring and kind person. I felt that she was genuinely on a mission to heal me! I could not be more grateful to have met her and to have her on my team.

Dr. Christina Ahn in New York City is literally a miracle worker. After four unsuccessful reconstruction surgery‘s post bilateral mastectomy I was left deformed and in severe pain unable to breathe open doors close windows or even hug my children. Four different surgeons said analogous fat transfer alone would not be an option but Dr Ahn took my case and performed an explant with capsullectomy and was able to do a beautiful reconstruction using only my own tissue no flaps or implants. She is not only the most gifted surgeon I have ever met but the most incredible human being who loves her patients. I cannot recommend her enough. She saved my life and The bonus is I now have beautiful reconstructed breasts.

Picture from 3.5 months
I am very pleased with Dr Ahn and her support team.
As many do, I had a lot of scar tissue. My surgery was on the longer side of Dr Ahn’s expectations. Dr Ahn made every effort to complete surgery with the best results for my health and also give me the best look possible.

I first met Dr. Ahn in January and had my surgery in March 2018. She has been amazing throughout the entire process. I am incredibly lucky I stumbled across her name on this website.
I was looking for a doctor to remove my 14 year old breast implants, because my health was starting to deteriorate and all signs were pointing to the implants. Unfortunately, not many doctors will recognize this, but Dr. Ahn not only believed and supported me, but was so caring and just wonderful every step of the way. I actually never even consulted another doctor, because the moment I met her I felt so comfortable and trusted her. I definitely made the right decision.
She made sure I was at ease the morning of surgery, kept my husband informed throughout, and personally checked on me the day after. She has also personally answered emails if I had a quick question. She really goes above and beyond - always taking her time, honestly making me feel like her only patient.
And not only did she remove every bit of my implants and related scar tissue, but she also made my “new” breasts look amazing!
If you are reading this and debating whether or not to remove implants - DO IT! If you are reading this and searching for a doctor - look no further than Dr. Ahn!

This review was done under great consideration. I have never written a review on anything (restaurants, books, other doctors). I decided to write this review because I believe Dr. Christina Ahn deserves more recognition for her remarkable talent and extraordinary work. Since her practice doesn’t do any marketing it took some time / research for me to find her and I am really happy I did because she is truly a hidden gem. Tomorrow marks the third month anniversary since my surgery and I am very happy with the work of my doctor, Dr. Christina Ahn. She is an amazing doctor and not only one of the best in her field, but one of best doctors in terms of the care and attention she gives to each and every one of her patients. Here’s why I think Dr. Ahn is an incredible doctor. A) Dr. Ahn is appropriately aggressive. A doctor who is too conservative would not be able to maximize the results and a doctor who is too aggressive takes unwarranted risks. Dr. Ahn manages to strike the perfect balance. B) Dr. Ahn is extremely meticulous and a consummate perfectionist. She took the time to examine me, including checking my body for previous scars to get an indication on how I would scar from the procedure. She took detailed notes of our visits and her diligence shows in the results of her extraordinary work. I saw photos of her previous work and her patients’ transformations are incredible. C) Dr. Ahn is passionate about her patients. She truly wants to make her patients comfortable and happy. Even though she is extremely busy, she always took the time the time to see me and answer all my questions (and I have lots of them). I had two procedures done by Dr. Ahn: breast fat transfer and the axillary breast tissue removal. I consulted with a total of four doctors before deciding to go with Dr. Ahn. I am so glad I made that choice because I don’t think anyone can match Dr. Ahn’s skill and level of care. Below is a summary of my results from the two procedures done by Dr. Ahn. 1) Dr. Ahn did a wonderful job on the breast. 2) For the breast transfer I gained about 1 cup in size. 3) Dr. Ahn added cleavage that I didn’t have. 4) I had an inverted nipple that Dr. Ahn was amazingly able to fix with the fat transfer. 5) I did not experience any lumps after the breast transfer. 6) My scars on the breast are very small (almost unnoticeable) and are continuing to get lighter. 7) Dr. Ahn did a great job on the liposuction as well. I focused a lot of my research on breast fat transfer and didn’t realize that it takes a lot of skill (which Dr. Ahn evidently has) to achieve symmetrical, natural contours with liposuction. 8) The lipo scars are slightly bigger than the scars on the breast but are healing and getting lighter by the day. 9) Dr. Ahn also did an unbelievable job on the axillary breast tissue removal. 10) Dr. Ahn was able to make the incision parallel to my arm pit crease so that when the scars heal it would be unnoticeable and would look like one of the creases. I can’t overemphasize how much Dr. Ahn cares for her patients. Since this was my first surgery, I had a lot of questions pre and post surgery. Every time I emailed Dr. Ahn, I would receive a response within a few hours, including in the evenings and weekends. Before the surgery, Dr. Ahn would see me a few times to make sure we go over exactly the areas that I would have liposuction and to check on the brava progress. (The only con to this procedure, Dr. Ahn encourages the patient to wear the brava for a few weeks before the procedure to maximize the results. I had a difficult time with the brava but Dr. Ahn and her staff really helped me through it.) After the surgery, Dr. Ahn saw me every few weeks to check on my healing process. I also want to mention she has a wonderful staff at her office. They were all tremendously supportive throughout the process. I feel really lucky to have Dr. Ahn as my doctor. For anyone considering getting any breast procedures done, I highly recommend you seek her out!

If I could give a 10 star rating to Dr. Ahn, I would! She is a true artist who is meticulous, caring and dedicated to her patients. I am 2 weeks post op following a mastoplexy, fat transfer to the breast and liposuction (4 areas: outer and inner thighs, knees, waist). I feel wonderful. The swelling and bruising in my liposuction areas has markedly decreased. My breasts look a very natural 36 C... exactly what I was hoping for...They look absolutely beautiful (just in time for my 10 year anniversary and trip to Bali with my husband next week). I know that some of the volume is due to post op swelling but even if they decrease somewhat in size, I will be pleased with the results. My waist, which was my main area of concern in regards to liposuction, already looks sculpted (I will post pictures in a few weeks when all the swelling has resolved) The most challenging part of this process was by far my first week of using the Brava system. It was nearly impossible at first for me to get a proper seal (which is critical when using the system) but I am so thankful that I persevered because by the end of the second week, I was seamlessly putting on the device and did not have any issues with skin irritation. Dr. Ahn and her assistant, Helen, (my “cheerleaders”) gently encouraged me throughout the entire process. My 12 am emails which I fully expected to be answered in the morning were almost always answered within minutes of me sending them. Every phone call was answered within minutes. I felt truly supported and “cared for” throughout the process. It was therefore not a surprise to get a phone call from Dr. Ahn at 10 pm the night of my surgery. She wanted to make sure that I was doing well and answered my many questions. We were on the phone for almost an hour! I am only 2 weeks post op but I would highly recommend Dr. Ahn to anyone considering mastoplexy, fat transfer to the breast or liposuction. I am so pleased with my experience with her, that I am now planning to have her do my tummy tuck.

I got saline breast implants 13 years ago. Initially I loved them, for many years I was very happy with them. One day I realized that my implants could be causing more harm than good. I always had issues with my digestive health. So many issues, that I experimented with a vegan diet for a year. I also tried gluten free diets. Regardless of what I did, I never felt an improvement. Aside from my digestive issues, I was tired all the time. I began to notice the inability to remember things. Simple things like what I had for dinner the night before. I had chronic yeast infections, sometimes 2 to 3 times a month. Two years ago my back pain began. I began physical therapy to help with the pain. I noticed during my therapy how extremely difficult it was for me to stand up straight without feeling discomfort. One day after my shower I noticed that my implants were changing. I felt like they were sitting uncomfortably high in my chest and they started to feel very hard. This was not the case when I first got them. That's when I panicked!! I began my internet search and read thousands of blogs of women with similar symptoms as mine. I couldn't believe all of my issues were side effects to implants! I always treated my symptoms as separate things, but they were in fact connected. I felt relived that I wasn't the hypochondriac I thought I was. I also felt horrible knowing the havoc my implants were causing my body. I wanted them out. My immune system was tired of fighting those foreign objects. My body was giving me all of the warning signs and for many years I ignored them. It was time for them to go. I began my quest looking for a doctor that would understand me and my concerns. It became very apparent to me that most surgeons were going to convince me I should simply replace my implants or that I didn't need to do anything at all. I needed a doctor that understands and acknowledges the dangers of implants. My prayers were answered when I found Dr. Christina Ahn. I met with her and her staff for a consultation and instantly knew I was in good hands. They were very kind and welcoming. One of my biggest concern was to ensure she would perform a full enbloc Breast explant. Not only did I want those things out I wanted the contaminated capsules around them gone as well. I have read on this site that many surgeons don't recommend removing the sac nor do they find it necessary. It was very important to my mental well being to know every part of these things were out of my body. I think most surgeons don't want to remove this because it is difficult and time consuming. I scheduled my surgery and her team was absolutely amazing in communicating with me and helping me prepare for surgery. Although I was mostly concerned with the explant I did not want to hate my body after surgery. So I decided to get a lift as well. The day of surgery, Dr. Ahn was beside me before I went in and she was there when I woke up. She is so gentle and kind, I always felt very well cared for. The surgery I was told would last about six hours. When I woke up I was shocked when I looked at the time! I was in surgery for 10 hours! Dr. Ahn is my guardian angel she was patient and determined to not only remove my implant but the capsule as well. The thing is any surgeon can tell you they did their best, that they removed the capsule. She also could have finished the surgery in 3 hours instead of 10. But she didn't, she took her time. My health and my life was important to her. I am so grateful to her and her team. I feel extremely fortunate to have her as my doctor. After the surgery Dr. Ahn showed me pictures of the capsules she removed. To my satisfaction they were in tact and I could see she removed them entirely. I was also given my implants. She told me one implant had mold growing on them. I was so happy to have those things out of my body. I am now so happy with my Body and I feel so confident. Thanks to Dr.Ahn I look as if I never had implants and my body is recovering. Dr. Ahn you saved my life and I thank you.

I have been seriously ill with fungal, viral and bacterial infections and symptoms including SOB, brain fog and burning pain in chest and other parts of my body to name a few. This progressed over the coarse of 11 years . I had been to many specialists, diagnosed with fibromyalgia, mild COPD, ground glass nodules in my lungs and other various medical problems. Before this time I had always been physically fit, ate a healthy diet and became deathly ill. I found an Infectious disease Dr. who diagnosed and is treating me for mycotoxin poisoning, one of which is pulmonary aspergillosis. After initially reviewing my medical history, she informed me that one of her patients had the burning chest pain and had her implants removed after 16 years ( same as me) The patient's implants were found to have black slimy mold around them. My Dr. told me I should have them removed ASAP. After doing some research I found that after many years the textured silicone on the outside of the saline implants become a powder like substance and leach into breast tissue and other parts and organs in the body. I began to read blogs on this site from women who were diagnosed with capsular contractures that caused them to have autoimmunity and had similar symptoms as myself. This explained why I became so vulnerable to all of the diseases and illnesses I had and why not one Dr. with the exception of my Infectious disease Dr. could put 2 + 2 together until meeting Dr. Christina Ahn. I read that I needed to have an en-bloc capsulectomy which is a highly more complicated procedure than just having a capsulotomy. Dr Ahn is an award winning expert in her field and was further able to explain what was happening to my body in the most amazing, compassionate way. She took the time I needed to have all my questions answered in a most caring way. Dr. Ahn was able to gain my trust despite the fact that I was very skeptical of most Dr.'s as I have been suffering for so many years with no help nor explanation until now. She thoroughly explained the process and how meticulous one must be in removing my 16 years of built up scar tissue that was encapsulated around my implants and attached to my chest causing compression and fibrosis to my chest wall. My muscles had shredded and she found several infections that caused necrosis in what used to be healthy breast tissue. The removal had to be done in this manner as to not tear the implant bag which could cause further infection and not to leave any scar tissue in chest to continue to cause autoimmunity due to continuous leaching of the textured silicone.
I am now dealing with three week post op recovery which after an 8 1/2 hour surgery and being so ill, I am up and around and finally able to even do my ADL's on my own thanks to Dr. Ahn. I was so ill that my husband had to help me with my ADL's and I have been disabled since last August. I believe we all have angels looking after us and I have been blessed with actually meeting three of them: my husband, Dr. Dr. Christina Ahn and my infectious disease Dr., Irene Grant. I am not a religious person but have always been very spiritual that helped me in this situation especially being so close to death. I have learned to go with your gut that leads you to people who feel passionate about what they do to help other people. Dr. Ahn is one of those people. She helped bring quality back to my life. I am blessed. THANK YOU, DR. AHN!

I was getting tired of my 15 year old implants which seemed to be getting harder as time went by. I liked the way they looked but could never get used to the way they felt. Whenever I did start to feel that they were a part of me, laying on my back quickly reminded me that I had two foreign objects stuck to my chest as these things simply defied gravity and would remain unnaturally erect towards the ceiling.

I also believed that they were the cause of many of the unexplainable symptoms I would suffer such as, itching and rash under my ribs, sore joints, anxiety, brain fog, cold extremities and sudden intolerances to cleaning products, perfumes and MSG.
As these symptoms worsened, I decided that I had to have my implants removed.

I started to do my research and found that the only effective way to perform an explantation is to do it en bloc which means to remove the capsule (scar tissue) along with the implant. Dr. Christina Ahn repeatedly appeared in my google searches as one who is highly experienced in en bloc removal and also with fat transfer to the breast.

I was very impressed by my initial appointment with Dr. Ahn. She is a warm and approachable doctor who makes you feel as if you are her most important patient.
She spent a long time explaining everything to me and never made me feel rushed.

I was scheduled for my explantation and fat grafting for March 13, 2015. Leading up to that date, many questions would pop up over the weekends and I would email Dr. Ahn, never expecting to get a reply until Monday. However, Dr. Ahn would always answer my emails... even when it was a Saturday or Sunday evening. As the date got closer, I began to freak out. This would usually occur on the weekends when I wasn't distracted with work and had time to dwell on my upcoming surgery. I would email Dr. Ahn about my concerns and she would always email me right back reassuring me that she was going to take good care of me and that all I had to do was focus on recovery. Dr. Ahn is really one-in-a-million .... I just love her!!

So, to back-track a little... 5 weeks leading up to my surgery, I had wear the Brava domes for 8- 10 hours a day which, I really didn't think I could manage, they are cumbersome and painful. However, as time went on, I got used to them and even figured out a way to lay on my stomach with them on. A week before my surgery, I was put on "turbo." Turbo is a pump which maintains a constant high level of suction on the Brava domes. This maximizes the expansion of the blood vessels in the breast to ensure a higher chance of fat survival after the fat transfer.

By the date of my surgery, my breasts had almost doubled in size and I was ready. My surgery took about 8 hours. Dr. Ahn informed me that I had a lot of scar tissue and she had to work extremely hard to remove it all. My implants were not leaking but the silicone shell had disintegrated and was sticky. I saw a photo of my implants and they were yellow.... yuck! Dr, Ahn also repaired my chest muscles which were damaged by the implants.

Dr. Ahn had told me that she was going to put 250cc of fat in each breast but after my surgery, I was informed that 390cc was in fact, transferred. My take on Dr. Ahn is that she tends to be conservative in her projections and would rather her patients be pleasantly surprised.

I am now 4 weeks post-surgery and still a little sore and numb in some of my lipo sites and my breast incisions still have a burning sensation. I am back on the Brava regimen for 8 hours a day. My breasts are a very full C, maybe even a small D. Ironically, I am bigger now than when I had implants (I was a small C) and before, most people would not suspect I had implants but now, I really look like I have implants.... except that they bounce...lol. Also, I never had cleavage with my implants, not even with the best push-up bra, but now I have cleavage even without a bra.

I was told to expect that I would be 2/3 the size I was with implants but as mentioned above, I am bigger than I was and hopefully, with the use of the Brava, they will remain just like that.... only time will tell.

So, my take-away on my whole experience is:
Dr. Ahn is the best, she is a talented surgeon who always has her patients' best-interest at heart. With regard to the procedures..... tedious, painful, but well worth it!

Updated on 17 Apr 2015:
These pics are from before my surgery showing the progression with the use of BRAVA leading up to the surgery. Will post some "after" pics soon.

Updated on 17 Apr 2015:


Updated on 18 Apr 2015:


Updated on 25 Apr 2015:
So, it's been 6 weeks and I am quite happy with the fat retention. While my breast may appear smaller, I think its more just that the fat has softened and shifted to a lower position rather than dissipated.

Lipo spots are still sore, especially my inner thighs. I love the results though.... each day I wake up, I appear smaller and thinner ... just love it!

About 20 years ago I decided I needed breast implants. Things didn't go too smoothly. Over the next 5 years I had to have 5 surgeries to correct the first. It was problem after problem. I thought I would just live with the result but I was never happy. I started having pain and didn't realize how much it affecting my life. Through the years I have looked into other treatments and options but was really to afraid to do anything. I finally came across Dr. Ahn. After reading about her and patient reviews I knew I had to meet her. I went for my initial consultation and was immediately impressed. She spent 2 hours discussing options that I didn't even know existed. I learned so much but now I had so much to think about. She quickly responded to all my phone calls and even met with me again to talk. 6 months later I was in the operating room. Although recovery was not easy for me, the end results are pretty amazing. Dr Ahn and her staff are so patient, attentive,understanding and interested in you as a whole person. I haven't come across many people with these qualities let alone a doctor,nurse and staff as a whole. Its been 6 months now since my procedure. I finally feel alive again. Its been a long journey but thanks to Dr. Ahn the worst is behind me and I'm looking forward to what comes my way as a complete woman.