If I have 300 cc implants and get them removed with no lift how will it look? (photo)

Great question!  You are correct that often times with volume is removed, there is remaining excess skin.  However, the skin will retract to a certain extent.  The amount of retraction will depend on many factors such as age, skin condition, elasticity of the skin, previous pregnancies, weight loss, ect.  Many patients who undergo explantation are happy with the retraction of the skin over time and do not elect to have a breast lift done.  However, after 1 year, if they are still unhappy, then a breast lift can be performed.  However, this is unknown as it varies from patient to patient and also your own personal goals.  Seek a consultation with a few board certified plastic surgeons and go with the one you feel most comfortable with.Best of luck and hope this information helps!

- Dr. Roger Tsai   @DrRogerTsai

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

It is difficult to give an accurate answer without more information and photos. Your youthful appearance suggest that your tissues may contract adequately and leave an acceptable contour. The best estimation can be provided after an in office consultation and examination.

At size 32 or 34, removing 300 cc implants will take you down 3 cup sizes.  At size 36 or 38, removing 300 cc implants will take you down 1 ½ cup sizes.  This may result in excessive hanging skin and empty appearance.  For this reason, I recommend explantation and lift simultaneously 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 (in 95%) and the ability to breast feed are maintained, if not injured during your previous surgery.  Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Thank you for sharing your question.  Based on your young age I would expect your breast tissue to respond well and shrink back close to your original appearance.  You will not have as "tight" of a look, and will have some mild skin excess, but I do not think a lift would be required. The best advice can only be given during an in-person evaluation.

The downsides of removal are primarily aesthetic.
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. Whereas larger implants which have been in for several years will often necessitate a lift.
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
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Dear kristenperez85,
it is hard to predict how will your breasts look once you remove your implant. A lot of factors can affect it. There is always an option to remove them and wait to see how will they look. If they remain saggy, you can get a breast lift. 
Daniel Barrett, MD

The smaller the implant and the less the amount of time it has been since placement, the greater the chance the breasts will return to their preoperative state. It is very difficult to predict breast size following explant b/c breast implants and weight fluctuations over time tend to thin tissues, cause a decrease in size, and create more droop.  
Usually removing them and performing the lift at the same time makes the most sense as some patients clearly need a lift and only want to go through one surgery.  If you are borderline, it is not unreasonable to remove the implants and then observe a waiting period of six months before the determination for breast lift is made. This will give your breasts time to bounce back and your PS time to determine what type of lift, if any, is needed.
Breast fat transfer is a great tool to balance breasts, improve symmetry, and gain up to one cup size in volume.  In general, 200 cc per breast is typically the upper limit of fat injection recommended by most plastic surgeons.  It is not that more cannot be injected; but on average, this has been determined to be the most that can be expected to live during one transfer.  Multiple transfers would be required for additional cc's.  In general, the abdomen and thighs are preferred donor sites but fat from other areas can be used.
Some of the retention rate will depend upon the amount of fat transferred, as smaller volumes will likely have a higher survival.  Occasionally, a patient can resorb a great deal of the fat despite optimal transfer procedures. I typically transfer from 250 cc to 400 cc or so per breast.  
Results are largely dependent upon the skill of the surgeon, his/her ability to remove fat without creating contour deformities, and your expectations. You would need a consultation with a board certified PS to determine your available fat stores.

Thank you for the question.  
 
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 "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.

There are several factors that influence how breasts will appear when implants are removed.  Some include size of implant, length of time implants have been in place, and elasticity of the tissues.  Upon removal you will lose the volume the implants have provided but your skin will retract to some degree.  I encourage you to meet with a board certified plastic surgeon near you for a consultation. After an examination your surgeon will be able to give you a better idea what you could expect from implant removal.

You may do fairly well with just removal, especially if you have not had your implants for too many years. Once healed, you can then see if you want anything else done. Good luck with your surgery.