Will my chest stay caved in or will it fill out in time? Will exercise work?

Question

I got my 450cc behind muscle implants removed and capsulectomy. I have drainage tubes for a week. just saw my breast yesterday and noticed the area above my breast is caved in. is this typical result. will it improve in time. im worried but i didnt notice it until i got home and i dont see dr. for a week. cant wait that long to find out or its more like i dont want to hear the news in person.

Sean Kelishadi, MD · Answer

Hello Anabell and thank you for your question.  After having implants and capsulectomy performed, there is a large dead space that is left over, especially when a 450cc implant is removed.  The drains are there to suck the tissue down and allow channels for draining normal tissue fluid to re-establish so that fluid pockets don't form in the previous space.  While the drains are in, the visual effect is even more dramatic.  After the drains come out, it takes around 3 months for the tissues to settle and redistribute better and will continue to improve over 6-12 months.  Having said that, as women age, they lose upper pole fullness in their breasts due to hormonal as well as gravity effects.  Most women miss the upper pole fullness they had with implants and are disappointed to see how "caved in" their chest may look when the implants are gone.  If this answer helps alleviate some of your concerns, then you should wait it out and see how everything settles over the next 3-6 months and then weight your options.  Or, if you know you wish you had your upper pole fullness back, seek consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon with expertise in revision breast surgery to go over the ideal timing to get implants placed again.  I hope this helps and feel free to reach out to us if we can be of further assistance in answering your questions/concerns. Sincerely,Dr. Sean Kelishadi@sskplasticsurg on Instagram

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Although your desire to receive online advice or reassurance is understandable, online consultants are not in a good position to provide you with meaningful reassurance. Generally speaking, patience is definitely indicated after removal of breast implants; it will take many months for the skin to “bounce back” and for you to see the final appearance of the breasts. For the benefit of patients seeking breast implant removal surgery in the future: 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.Best wishes for an outcome that you will be pleased with long-term.

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.Best wishes for an outcome that you will be pleased with long-term.

Lori H. Saltz, MD (retired) · Answer

The surprise that women experience after removing their implants can be upsetting at first. Your tissues will continue to shrink and improve for several months and you will adjust to having small breasts again. You didn't give us a photo or enough information to answer your question in regards to your situation, but in general, when an implant is used that overfills the tissues over it, the body will respond in two ways to relieve the tension. One is by stretching the skin and the breast tissue. Your skin will get slightly better, but your breast tissue will not recover. Also the ribs below the implant cave inward in response to the pressure. Not infrequently we see this consequence when we are changing out old implants. There is nothing behind those ribs to push them back out. Bone does not have elastic properties like skin. We cannot speak to your situation specifically and you will have to wait to speak with your surgeon who has the advantage of examining you and knowing your history. Just be patient.

Will my chest stay caved in or will it fill out in time? Will exercise work?

Answers (3)

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