In 2020, nearly 50,000 American women chose to remove their breast implants, according to The Aesthetic Society—and for reasons as individual as female breasts themselves. While some women blamed their implants for nagging health concerns, others simply grew weary of the upkeep or no longer identified with their implants and the women they were when they got the augmentation. Regardless, the patients we spoke to found explanting to be transformational in more ways than one. Here, what seven women wish they knew before embarking on the journey.
That I could be happy with less-than-perfect breasts
After having breast implants for 40 years, I explanted with fat transfer, in August 2021. When I was younger, my implanted breasts were perfect. As I got older, they encapsulated. One, in particular, felt unnaturally hard; the other felt normal. The shape was always great though. Still, they were old—and I was getting older. I didn’t want to have breast implants at 70.
Explanting went as well as it could and, at six months out, I’m pleased with the experience. I had no pain, except for the discomfort where the fat was taken from my hips and belly. I healed quickly, and I got a good result. I will say, I’m not happy with the scars under my breasts—they’re not delicate. My doctor didn’t prepare me for that.
While I don’t feel like my breasts are as attractive as they were with implants, they’re better than I expected. I probably went from a large C to a large B or even a small C. A lot of that is age and fat, because when I first got my implants, I just went from a 32A to 32B. For some reason, my nipples don’t protrude as much now as they used to, but other than that, I’m happy with the appearance of my breasts and relieved to be implant-free. —D., 69, Los Angeles
The recovery is long—but worth it
I decided to get implants after breastfeeding. I probably should’ve waited for my breasts to recover, but I didn’t like how they looked at the time. After my augmentation, I thought my breasts looked great; however, I did notice that they drew more attention to my chest and that I couldn’t always wear certain cuts [because the implants made them] look too provocative.
I had breast implants for six years. In November 2020, my face started swelling and I developed eczema on one eyelid. My face and lips became so swollen that people began asking me if I had gotten fillers. My boobs were bigger than usual too, probably due to the inflammation in my body. I had swollen lymph nodes in my neck and groin. At the end of December that year, my face broke out in insane rashes. Dermatologists ran blood work—some said it was eczema; others said it was seborrheic dermatitis or autoimmune issues. The rashes went on for months and spread to different parts of my body. It was a nightmare. I had no idea what was going on. My doctors figured it might be tumid lupus. I became desperate and started looking everywhere for answers. Two friends said to look into my implants and BII, which was something I’d never even thought of. After doing my own research, I decided to explant in July 2021.
It was one of the best decisions of my life. My health immediately improved after breast implant removal: not one new rash, not one swollen lymph node, no more fatigue, and I can breathe so much better. My face and eyes look completely different—like night and day.
My breasts didn’t look the best at first. But that’s normal—my body had to recover. I do like how they look now, six months after my explant surgery, except for the scars, which I know will go away with time. Before surgery, my biggest fear was that they would look horrible—and I waited a bit before removing them. I considered getting a breast lift along with explant, but my surgeon suggested I wait to make that decision. He was right—my breasts look totally fine without the lift.
I wish I had known that the recovery following explant would be longer than what I experienced after getting breast implants. I thought I’d be fine after a week or two, but it was a good four to six weeks before I felt better. The recovery is long but worth every second. —Sarah, 35, Miami
That my health issues would resolve once my implants were out
I had my 10-year-old implants removed in 2017 by Dr. H. Jae Chun—and it was the best thing I’ve ever done.
I was happy with my larger size in the beginning. It was fun and sexy. But not for long. The implants always felt heavy and cold. Within months of my breast augmentation, I developed some contracture issues and began to experience health problems—hair loss, Hashimoto’s, GI troubles, brain fog, weight gain, pain around my armpit—which grew consistently worse. By year five, I knew my implants would have to come out. I shouldn’t have waited as long as I did, but that’s on me.
Explanting safely with an experienced doctor was the best gift I could have given myself. Along with my explant, I had a breast lift. I’m elated by both the results and regaining my health. I’m relieved to be able to breathe and blessed to feel like myself again. All my symptoms resolved—some of them overnight, others over the course of a few short months.
I’m honoring the way I look. My faint scars are a reminder to never buy myself another dumb mistake! Too many women end up as I did, with a host of medical issues. Lucky for me, they did go away once I safely explanted. I wish I had known this beforehand. —Lise, 64, Denver
Explanting can be emotional
I had my breast implants for three and a half years, and at first, I absolutely loved them. I started as a 32AA, and my implants brought me to a 32DD.
A year after getting implants, I began experiencing health issues, which worsened as time went on. I was in severe chronic pain and practically bedridden during the last year that I had implants. I couldn’t take it any more and was willing to do anything to feel better. When I heard about other women with implants experiencing similar symptoms when they’d been previously healthy, I decided to explant. I had made up my mind to try everything possible to feel better, and I told myself that if explant didn’t work, I could always get implants again down the road.
Within a month after explanting, my health improved dramatically—I would say it was a 75% improvement. It took two years and lots of work to fully recover to [the point of being] able to do everything I once did before implants. My most severe symptoms before explant were body aches and weeklong migraines. Now I just occasionally have shoulder pain in areas that weakened after being in bed for so long.
I generally feel good [about the appearance of my breasts]. I cannot wear certain types of clothing. No strapless items, because I now have noticeable excess skin when fabric is pushed up against my chest. That skin overflow happens in certain bras and bathing suits as well. My implants were very wide and would slightly slide into my armpit, creating loose skin in that area after explanting.
I wish I had known more about the recovery journey before explanting. I was prepared for my physical appearance to change and for the skin elasticity to not be what it once was, but the healing journey is a long process. You go through waves of feeling better and confident without implants, and then there are weeks where you feel sick and the anxiety and sadness come and you question your decision. When explanting, it’s an emotional and physical journey to fully recover, and I wish I had known it takes a lot of time. I wasn’t fully recovered for close to two years, and it took a lot of work to get back to feeling like me again. —Courtney, 36, San Antonio
That my new look would take some getting used to
I had breast implants for 19 years. I always felt they were a little bigger than I wanted, even though most people were shocked to learn they were implants. I was always very self-conscious, never one to put them on display.
I eventually had an implant exchange, due to the age of my implants, and about two years after the exchange, I developed painful scar tissue and stage 3 to 4 capsular contracture. I decided to have my implants removed. And it has been a process, for sure. Since my exchange, I’ve had constant issues and continue to have painful scar tissue, even after explant. I wish I’d never gotten implants to begin with—and I certainly wish I had not done an exchange.
I had a fat transfer with my explant, but it was a little shocking to see my breasts after surgery. I’m still not used to them. I just try to avoid looking at them.
You will definitely see yourself differently after explant. I didn’t like the way my tops/dresses fit with my implants—and I don’t like the way they fit after. I do, however, enjoy exercise much more now, and I don’t miss the heaviness of the implants. —Dawn, 49, Little Rock, AR
Rest is essential to recovery, so let go of the guilt
I had implants for more than 11 years. When I got them, I had just finished nursing and was getting ready to compete in my first fitness competition. I felt it was the right choice for me at that time.
As the years went on, I never disliked my implants, but I didn’t really identify with that part of myself anymore. I had moved further and further away from wanting to match society’s or social media’s expectations for my body and stepped deeper into a place of self-acceptance. My implants were also the kind associated with a rare breast cancer [ALCL], and I was having some issues with them. So I felt it was time to listen to my body and remove the implants.
When I had the implants and capsules removed, I did a small lift too. To be totally honest, I have a whole new appreciation and love for my breasts. I’m excited to not have to carry that extra weight and to just allow this feeling of lightness to take over my mind and my heart.
Because my explant happened so fast, I rushed to prepare myself the best way possible. But I will say this: If you have children, see if you can get help for a few days after surgery so you don’t have that mom guilt from having to rest. You need rest! You’ve just had a major surgery. I also felt a lot of guilt because I was taking out something that a lot of women are judged for putting in. But I had an amazing partner who made sure I was not doing anything for the first few days. Ask a friend or family member to sleep over with you, if you don’t have a partner to help. —Melissa, 37, Waterloo, Ontario
That I’d love my breasts more than ever
I had silicone implants for about five years. My natural breasts were always saggy, with lots of extra skin from years of being active, and I was very self-conscious when wearing a swimsuit. I wanted to get implants because I knew that no matter how hard I worked out or how well I ate, I could not fix that part of my body through diet and lifestyle, and it was frustrating for me.
I absolutely loved my implants for years. It was nice to not have to wear a bra and to feel confident in a swimsuit. As a distance runner, it was great to not have big, saggy boobs that chaffed and bled underneath while running. The implants stayed up and in place.
While there were positives to having implants, a few months after I got them in, I started having some weird illnesses. There would be days I was so fatigued, I could not get out of bed. Over the years, I developed Raynaud’s, cognitive issues, brain fog, memory loss, and some muscle twitching that really concerned me. I do have epilepsy and have been on meds for that for more than 20 years, so I attributed these twitches to maybe a medication side effect or something more serious. I checked in with my neurologist, who had never heard of my medication causing this. He ruled out conditions like Parkinson’s. I asked him if he thought my symptoms could be linked to my breast implants, and he said no. I was left with no answers and still feeling off.
I’m a huge believer in being my own health advocate, so I started researching breast implant illness—and my jaw dropped. So many symptoms that I thought were in my head were finally being explained. I scheduled my explant; my gut was telling me this was the right thing to do.
Since my implants were so large, my skin was left significantly stretched out after explanting. I told my plastic surgeon, Dr. Mark Deuber in Dallas, that I wanted the scar tissue gone and to make me as small and perky as possible. He recommended a breast lift, to achieve this look for me.
I now love my breasts. In fact, this is the most I have ever loved my breasts in my life!
The first major thing I noticed after explantation was the feeling that I could actually take a full, deep breath. That was huge for me. On day three after surgery, I was walking three to four miles. I was recently cleared to begin working out and running again. My body is healing exceptionally well. As a holistic nutritionist, I am confident that by following my nutritional protocols, I will see more and more improvements in my health over time.
But it’s really important to keep in mind that just as every body responds differently to having a foreign object implanted, everyone heals differently after explant. All your symptoms may not magically disappear right away. You can do things to help yourself heal, but remembering to be patient with your body and the healing process is key. —Kaydee, 36, Denver
