Will I have my breast volume back after explantation?

Question

I was a small B cup before, and my doctor said that my breasts might even look better due to the pocket he created for the implants. But now, my breasts don't look the way they did before, and it's flat. Neither size or shape is the same, there is no volume left, and its just awful! I have a great skin quality, as my doctor said, and my breasts were great before, but just small. Will they stay so flat and wide?

John P. Di Saia, MD · Answer

Hello,
Simple removal of breast implants does not return things to the "before operated condition" in the usual case. Some patients need breast lift surgery and others choose to have smaller implants placed. There are some patients who do well with simple removal, but it is difficult to tell who they might be before surgery.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

There are several factors that influence your final look after you remove breast implants.  Some include the size of the implants, your skin elasticity, and the length of time the implants were in place.  Other factors can include age, genetics, and weight gain or loss.  I encourage you to speak to your surgeon about your concerns.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

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.   Occasionally, I see patients who just want the implants removed because they don't want the implants "to be a part of them" anymore.  Make sure you think about this and that this is the right thing for you.  It's difficult to say if you need a lift after removal -- no one will know exactly what your breasts will look like after the implants are removed until it is done.  Talk to a well-trained and experienced board-certified plastic surgeon and get good advice.
	Best wishes.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Unfortunately it is hard to predict how breasts will look after removal of implants. Your experience is fairly common after removal.

Louis DeLuca, MD · Answer

Following explantation, the breasts usually maintain the flat, widened appearance (often described as a deflated breast) due to the stretching of the skin and the compression of the breast tissue from the implants.

Kenneth R. Francis, MD, FACS · Answer

Viola,
I will assume that you have already had your implants removed.  It is unlikely that your breasts will return to their pre surgery state.  Your breast tissue has been compressed and the breast skin has been stretched out, so you will likely remain wider and flatter.

Will I have my breast volume back after explantation?

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