Would it be best to drain or remove my saline breast implants?

It is best to remove the implants.  I would suggest that unless there is a special medical condition that prevents you from having surgery, it would not be advisable to just deflate them.  

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

In general,it's best to remove your implants unless you plan to replace them within a few weeks. You breast skin will usually conform well to the new smaller breast implant if its not too small.A photo  would be helpful to more accurately assess your  corrent size.

Hi and thanks for the question. For someone who is on the fence between going with smaller implants vs removal an in-office drainage of saline implants is a reasonable option. This will give you a good idea of how much breast tissue you have to work with. If you have a substantial amount of tissue, your surgeon can use it as part of a lift to give you a nice breast shape. On the other hand, if you don't have a substantial volume of your own tissue it would make more sense to talk about new, possibly smaller implants. Like other doctors have stated here, you should have a deflation performed only if you are planning on having surgery. Use it as a means to help you decide between new implants vs no implants. Don't think of it as an alternative to surgery. Good luck.Dr J

I would suggest meeting with a board certified plastic surgeon and discuss what size of breast you would like. If possible, look back at your photos before implants and see if you like that size. I would recommend removing the implants instead of just draining them, unless you plan to have surgery to remove them soon after draining. Empty saline implants can wrinkle and be uncomfortable. many saline implants can be removed in the office under local anesthesia.

It is not usual practice to have your implants drained, unless you are planning on having a revision breast surgery within a few weeks.  It is not advisable to keep deflated saline implants in place as your body will form some scar tissue around the deflated implant and this could cause pain and deformity.  In your case you will benefit from in person consultation.  Best of luck to you

It is not recommended you leave your saline implants in place if you have them drained. This is considered a staging procedure to help you and your board-certified plastic surgeon make a decision whether or not they should be replaced with other implants or removed. Discuss thee options with your board-certified plastic surgeon to come up with the best plan for you.I hope this helpsDr Edwards

Most patients with deflated saline implants find them to be painful, so leaving them in is not a good option. Maximum skin change after deflation is probably complete in 6 weeks for most patients. They will look pretty much the same deflated as with the implants removed as the implant shell provides very little volume. But without photos there is no way to comment on your specific situation.