6 weeks post op, why are my breasts deteriorating instead of improving after implant removal?

Result can vary quite a bit after implants removal.      The quality and quantity of your breast tissue, stretching of the skin, size of implants relative to the breast, make a big difference.  There is a good chance that redoing your augmentation would correct your problems.     There are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of recurrent capsular contracture.    If you have enough tissue, performing a lift may also be a good option.       

Thank you for sharing your excellent question and I am sorry that your current result has caused you concern.  If implant removal is anticipated to leave you with significant excess skin, it is possible to have folding and dimpling take place during the healing process.  This can be prevented, or corrected, with a breast lift procedure.  I would follow your surgeons instructions with use of a compression garment and massaging of the tissues to help speed healing until evaluation for a revision can be performed.  Hope this helps.

Sorry about your postoperative course.  Your concerns are valid and understandable.  If you are six weeks postop, you are still in the healing stages with a lot of swelling, making it difficult to judge the final result.   Implant removal, when done without a lift or without another implant placement, can sometimes result in distortion of the breasts due to internal scarring, history of previous breast surgeries, etc.  Without having your preop and postop photos, and without having the detailed history on your implant surgeries, it is nearly impossible to say more than that.  Your best course of action would be to continue to allow the tissues to heal, the swelling to subside, and to have your plastic surgeon re-evaluate your breasts at approximately 6 to 12 months postoperatively.  There is not much you can do in the meantime. Good luck.

Without an exam or photos, it is difficult to explain what is going on.  Scar tissue or adhesions inside can create some contour irregularities at this stage. After implant removal, it can take one full year to see what your final contours will be. I would advise being patient as you can't rush the healing process along. Trust your doctor's advice. If at one year post-op there are issues, additional surgery may help the appearance.

Thanks for your question! I take quite a bit of time with my removal patients as many times they are unsatisfied with the aesthetic result post-removal. Most commonly, I perform a breast reshape to mitigate the after effects. Most people don't see a return to the same state as they were prior to implants (skin can only shrink so much without help). Replacing of the implants will definitely help the aesthetics afterwards! Ensure your surgeon has a plan to ward off the capsular contracture risk (there are no guarantees against it but there are things you can do to offset the risk), and best of luck!

It is still early in your post operative course but if the contour of the skin and breast is not smooth, you may need an additional procedure once you have healed.  You didn't mention if these were saline or silicone implants or if they were ruptured, and whether the capsule was removed.  Discuss your concerns with your surgeon and options for improvement, but be patient and fully heal before any further surgery.  Implants, fat grafting or lift may be options.  Best wishes to you.

I'm sorry you are having concerns from surgery.  Initially the breasts will be swollen from surgery.  As healing progresses, the swelling resolves.  At about 3 months post op you will have a more accurate picture of your results.  If at that time you are unhappy you can discuss options with your surgeon.  It may be that a lift, implants, fat grafting, or a combination would improve shape.  

When you heal, you heal with scars.  At this point, I would have you massage the breast to prevent inside scaring.  You are in the early stage of healing, so it is too soon to judge your result. Follow up with your surgeon on a routine basis so he or she can monitor your recovery.