Do I have tubular breasts? I am considering explanting now 25 years later. Will my outcome be really bad if they are tubular?

Regardless of pre-implant shape, having implants will stretch the skin.  Having excess skin combined with a paucity of breast tissue can leave the breasts deflated and ptotic.  A fat transfer at the time of explant can replace the missing implant volume optimizing the appearance of the post explant breast.

Explant alone leads to high patient dissatisfaction because of the hanging skin envelope and empty appearance.  Most women then have to undergo a lift.  It is better to do both procedures at one time.  The technique I recommend is explantation and lift using The Bellesoma Method.  The implants are removed, your breast tissue is reshaped creating upper pole fullness, elevated higher on the chest wall and more medial to increase your cleavage.  Vertical scars are avoided, nipple sensation and the ability to breast feed are maintained, if not injured during your previous surgery.  At the same time or later, fat transfers can be performed if additional volume is desired.Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

It would be great to see a photo of you now.  But given that it has been so long, you can certainly have removal and a mastopexy perhaps.  Without an exam it is difficult to say, but a breast lift and possibly fat transfer may be a good option.Go see a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options.Hope that helps.

Dear jill0786,
it is hard to tell how will your breasts look once you remove your implants. Your results will depend on shape and size of your breasts prior to surgery, size of implants, type of surgery you had, etc. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

It is difficult to make 100% accurate predictions following explant. There are a number of factors to consider including age (the breast changes over time irregardless of augmentation), weight change, skin stretch and residual elasticity.
Following removal, one can expect:
-Loss of volume- Not an exact correlation between pre- and post augmentation due to the changes over time. You may be bigger or smaller than you remember.
-Ptosis/sagging-Ptosis develops over time and may be worsened by the presence of an implant. If a patient has pre-explant sagging, removal is likely to worsen this to a certain extent. If there is no ptosis, it does not necessarily mean there will be no ptosis after removal.
-Skin laxity/stretch- There is inherent skin elasticity which will allow for some measure of snap back. However, the greater the volume differential pre- and post- the more likely there will be excess skin.
In my experience, it is usually a safe assumption that there will be some changes post removal which oftentimes may necessitate further operative intervention (i.e. lift), however this is often a function of size and length of time post op. Small implants which have only been in place for a short period will lead to an improved response/recoil post removal.
With regards to your specific question, without an in-person exam it is difficult to make a prediction. You do appear to demonstrate some of the qualities of a tuberous breast. However, having undergone surgery to address this in the past will affect the changes post explant. 
As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

Donovan Rosas MD
Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
RealSelf Top 100
RealSelf Hall of Fame
 

Your breasts do not have a tubular shape. If they were tubular to begin with, the implants have corrected most of that and they should not return to that shape once the implants are removed.

From your photo you do appear to have some characteristics of tubular breasts, although because of the time that has lapsed it's not really a very good prediction of how they'll appear if you choose to have your implants removed.  Generally your post explant look will be influenced by the volume of your implants, the length of time they've been in place, as well as your skin elasticity.  Some women find that a breast lift is helpful to restore shape after implant removal, while others do not need it.  I welcome you to visit us in our Houston office for a consultation to learn more.

Thank you for the question and picture.
I think your old photo does demonstrate some of the characteristics seen with tuberous (constricted) breasts. For example, the distance from the areola to inframammary folds seems to be tight and relatively short.  Your inframammary folds seem to be widely spaced from the midline of your chest. The areola do demonstrate some features associated with tuberous breast such as  an increased width  and “puffiness”.Remember that your breasts will likely have changed significantly over the course of 25 years.  In other words, the old picture may not have much predictive value. 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.   In other words, it may take several months for swelling to completely resolve;  postoperative deformities may be more visible at that time.
In "borderline" cases where there is doubt whether breast lifting is necessary or not, I advise patients to undergo explantation only and to give their breasts the benefit of the doubt  before deciding whether breast lifting would be beneficial.  
I hope this helps. Best wishes.