Have to take breast implants out. What results should I expect? Bad? (Photos)

Hello! Thank you for your question! It is a matter of surgeon preference as well as what is seen during your procedure that will determine whether or not a complete capsulectomy is performed. If significant capsule formation is seen intraoperatively, a full capsule removal may be warranted with a drain in order to completely remove all of the tissue and allow better adherence of your breast back to its normal anatomic position down on your chest wall. If minimal contracture is seen, it may be possible to leave the capsule, or place cuts within the capsule to allow better adherence.  It is still not completely understood what forms the capsule, but the popular theory would lead most to removing it entirely. It truly is dependent on what is seen with your capsule and the issues that may be causing you to have such a procedure (e.g., contracture from rutptured implant vs pain vs simple pocket adjustment, etc).  But, I completely believe in removal of the entire capsule, en bloc, for several reasons.  Drains should be used to remove the fluid that will inevitably develop in the potential space.  Without knowing your issues and without an examination, it is difficult to tell you what may be the best thing for you. I favor performing capsulectomies (in an en bloc fashion) in order to create a fresh pocket, reshape the pocket, allow better shape and adherence of the overlying breast. I would discuss your issues with yourplastic surgeon who will assist you in determining the right modality for you. Given the capsule formed from the foreign object and was not there to begin with, as well as some theories of what exactly is a capsule and what causes it to form...I favor complete capsule removal.  I would expect a somewhat similar appearance as if you have not had implants, as your breasts have also aged over the past few years. Hope that this helps!  Best wishes!

The smaller the implant and the less time that has elapsed since implantation, the greater the chance your breasts will return to their preoperative state.  The chest wall should not be affected, recovery should be much quicker than after implantation.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

You may have some redundant skin, but will likely resemble your look preoperatively.  You are still early in the recovery process, so more time is needed to know for sure.  If you are unhappy with your results you can return for surgical options, such as a smaller implant.

Your ultimate result depends on the quality of your skin, it's elasticity, the size of your implants and partly also your age.  Looking at your pictures I would expect you to get a reasonable result after a removal only. Your skin is likely to return back to similar to how you started, but may be a bit looser.I would not recommend a lift or any other procedure, but have the implants out & then see how everything settles.  Don't be afraid.All the best

My best guess, based based on the photographs, is that you will have an outcome similar to your preoperative exam, after breast implant removal surgery.  Some general thoughts in this regard may be helpful to you:

Generally speaking, what your breasts will look like after explantation depends on several factors such as: the quality of skin elasticity (the better the elasticity the better the skin will bounce back), the size of the implants used (the larger the implant the more trouble you may have with redundant skin), and the amount of breast tissue present at this time (which may have changed since the time of your breast augmentation).

Life experience since your breast augmentation procedure, such as pregnancy or weight gain weight loss, will potentially influence the factors discussed above. If you take these factors into consideration and apply them to your specific circumstances you may get a good idea of what to expect after the implants are removed.

 Patience is definitely indicated after removal of breast implants; it will take many months/year for the skin to “bounce back” and for you to see the final appearance of the breasts.
 
 I hope this helps. Best wishes.