{"id":27452,"date":"2024-03-18T11:28:53","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T18:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=27452"},"modified":"2024-03-18T11:29:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T18:29:00","slug":"flat-after-breast-implant-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/flat-after-breast-implant-removal","title":{"rendered":"Will I Look Flat After Breast Implant Removal? Doctors Answer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Featured Experts:<\/strong>
Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Jericho, New York
Dr. Norman Rowe<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City
Dr. Samuel Lin<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Boston<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

If you have breast implants you’re thinking about removing, you’ve likely wondered, Will I look flat after implant removal?<\/em> The answer is, unfortunately, probably. Breast implant removal<\/a> is on the rise, with more and more celebrities reversing their augmentation<\/a> and the number of people getting the procedure increasing by 12% between 2019 and 2022, according to the newest available data<\/a>.<\/p>

What’s driving this trend of breast implant removal? It’s a combination of factors, according to board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh<\/a>, who is based in Jericho, New York. For one, there’s the matter of breast implant illness<\/a>, the constellation of symptoms that’s attributed to breast implants. After all, “these are foreign-body devices, and any foreign-body device in a human body potentially spurs an immune reaction,” he says. Then there’s the matter of the physical repercussions of implants—namely, that they can be heavy and contribute to neck and back pain.<\/p>

And finally, beauty standards have evolved over the years, with a greater emphasis on a more natural look. Some patients “are many years out from their implants, and they’re like, ‘You know what? I’m just not in the same mindset that I was when I was in my 20s,’” Dr. Alizadeh says.<\/p>

However, removing your breast implants doesn’t mean that your breasts simply return to their original size and shape. Instead, the effects of time and gravity can have a flattening effect. With that, here’s what you should know.<\/p>

Interested in Breast Implant Removal?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>

What do breasts look like after implant removal?<\/h2>

For just about every patient, breasts will look flat, since there’s no longer any volume or lift without the implant. After all, “a breast implant gives the breast more cleavage and size,” says Dr. Norman Rowe<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City. “If removed, this fullness is immediately gone.”<\/p>

On top of that, breast implants usually stretch the skin envelope, which can also lead to loose skin and sagging. And finally, “breast implants cause loss of native volume, so once the implants are removed, the breasts will be smaller than before they were placed,” says Dr. Rowe. Really, there’s no way around it. “Flattening happens in all patients,” he says.<\/p>

The extent<\/em> of it, though, can vary—so much so that your surgeon might be able to predict your level of flatness. This is based on the amount of breast tissue present, which is that “native volume” Dr. Rowe mentioned, as well as the volume of the implant. Also related is “the length of time the implant has been implanted,” says Dr. Samuel Lin<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Boston. The less time you have an implant, the smaller the effect it may have on all the other factors.<\/p>

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