Is it safe to have implant removal under local anesthesia when pregnant?

Dear lizzie713,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Generally speaking, it is possible to remove implant under local anesthesia during pregnancy. 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

Thank you for sharing your question. I would advise waiting until after delivery to have your implants removed. It is a best safe than sorry mentality but limits risks to your baby.

Thank you for your questions. The bottom line is that nobody is going to be able to tell you definitively that a surgical procedure such as this during pregnancy is safe because it likely has not been studied. There has been no group of pregnant women that underwent the procedure and were compared to matched non-pregnant women. So nobody really knows. The safe option is to wait until after pregnancy if there is no urgency to removal. If that is not acceptable to you, then discuss with your doctors and accept that there may be some risk involved that is unknown.

Just to add something else, you mentioned that "I do not have capsules" and just to inform you, you absolutely have capsules. If you have implants, you have a capsule.

Hope this helps!

Dallas Buchanan, MD
VIVIFY plastic surgery
Tampa, FL

Getting only the implant shells removed under local anesthesia is a safe option as long as you have clearance from your OB/GYN. Best wishes with your pregnancy.

Unless there is a medical necessity, it is safest to wait until after pregnancy to have your implants removed. If you are having issues with them it may be due to the capsules. All implants have capsules around them but they generally are not an issue unless they are thickened or contracted. If this is the situation you will need to have the capsules removed as well which should not be done under local anesthesia.

If your OB/Gyn gives approval to remove your implants under local, then you should be fine, especially once you are past the first trimester.

I agree that this is a difficult question to answer becuase there is no study to refer to. I would recommend waiting until after your delivery, unless the problems are severe. The best advice I can offer you is to follow the advice of your OBGYN and surgeon.

Dear Lizzie,
Congratulations on your pregnancy.
First, all breast implants form a capsule around them. The thickness of this capsule is what causes symptoms and issues.
Removing the implants under local anesthesia is safe. Local anesthesia is often used on pregnant women when it is deemed that waiting for months is not an option.
If you have saline implants, you may be able to just deflate them and remove the implant later.
Best wishes
Dr. Taranow