Breast Implant Removal After 25 Years

Removal of breast implants, intact or ruptured, may have positive implications if patients are symptomatic. A constellation of symptoms associated with breast implant illness, and autoimmune disease are considered when treating patients who have breast implants and are concerned about foreign body reaction. In our office, we begin this journey with a consideration of symptoms and exclusion of obvious autoimmune problems. In many of our patients, en bloc removal of breast implants with capsulectomy is important and beneficial. Further clinical evidence about breast implant illness is evolving and will continue to guide treatment. I would suggest removal if there is a possibility of foreign body reaction.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Good day! Generally after explantation, the shape and size of the breast will be unpredictable. Result varies between patients and it will largely depend upon their age, duration and size of the implant, or previous state of their breasts like existing anatomy, deformity, previous surgeries, underlying personal and family medical conditions, nicotine use, pregnancy and other factors. There are options available such as a lift or a fat transfer, if you are worried about the explantation result. Do not hesitate to contact your surgeon about options designed for your needs and discuss realistic goals and expectations. Best of luck! #RealSelf100
 

The resutls of implant removal after 26 years depend on your age, implant size, location (under/over), your volume of breast tissue, amount of tissue to be removed, etc. Generally you will see loss of upper breast fullness.

The answer to this question just depends on how much breast tissue you had to start out before ever having surgery, and how large the implants were.  If you were fairly small to start out with, and the implants were not considered too large, then there is a reasonable thought that the breast tissue will retract somewhat and be fine.  However, some women need a lift after removal, since the tissues do not bounce back like you hope and expect them to.

25 years of implant longevity is impressive. After 30 years in practice, we do have patients returning from when I first started for implant exchange or removal. For more specific recommendations, you will need an in person consultation and exam. However, in general you will need to determine if the potential loss of fullness in the upper pole is going to be acceptable, and if the amount of droopiness is worth addressing with a lift.

More than likely if you have the implants removed after 25 years, you may need some kind of lift. However, you may not have enough tissue to lift.  Sometimes removing the implants and seeing how they look first is the best solution.

First you need to know the cause of the swelling in one breast.

Your Plastic Surgeon will order a mammogram and maybe an MRI. Then can discuss the findings and your options.

I have seen many 30 years old implants and operated on them. The final results will depend on your particular situation, the quality of skin , the amount of droopiness, the amount of breast tissue.

Then you decide if you want them replaced or not.

And if you want/need breast lift or not.

Make sure you remove the implants and the capsule

In my 30 year experience with implants, removal of the implants in most women after many years creates less volume in the breast than they want. Your implant does give you some upper pole fullness, which is not usually obtainable without an implant in place. In spite of all this, if you prefer to have your implants removed, I'd do it with the option to have implants placed in 6 months to one year later. Unfortunately there's no way to decide this in advance, so I always give my patients the option of replacing the implant later.