I am looking at having a breast explant without replacement. I have read that for health reasons, a capsulectomy is best. However, some doctors prefer to do a capsulotomy. Why might this be, and what risks, if any, do patients face by not removing the entire capsule by choosing a capsulotomy? Thank you.
Answer: Why Do Some Doctors Remove The Capsule? The capsule is your body's response to your implants. It may contain silicone gel, silicone shell fragments, bacteria, calcification, and inflammatory cells which have been mobilized by your immune system to react to different components of the implant. Research has shown that the capsule does not disappear on its own when only the implant has been removed. See Nancy Hardt's paper in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. In addition, if you have pain around the implants, it is usually due to the pulling effect of the scar on surrounding muscle and tissue. If you have health problems that could be from the presence of the implants, removal of the capsule is critical in improving your health. I've linked my en bloc video.
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Answer: Why Do Some Doctors Remove The Capsule? The capsule is your body's response to your implants. It may contain silicone gel, silicone shell fragments, bacteria, calcification, and inflammatory cells which have been mobilized by your immune system to react to different components of the implant. Research has shown that the capsule does not disappear on its own when only the implant has been removed. See Nancy Hardt's paper in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. In addition, if you have pain around the implants, it is usually due to the pulling effect of the scar on surrounding muscle and tissue. If you have health problems that could be from the presence of the implants, removal of the capsule is critical in improving your health. I've linked my en bloc video.
Helpful 3 people found this helpful
Answer: Should I have Capsulectomy With Implant Removal? My rule of thumb is that if your implants are soft and not ruptured (silicone) then a capsulectomy is not needed and serves no key purpose. If you have ruptured silicone implants, then removal of residual silicone occurs when the capsules are removed.
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Answer: Should I have Capsulectomy With Implant Removal? My rule of thumb is that if your implants are soft and not ruptured (silicone) then a capsulectomy is not needed and serves no key purpose. If you have ruptured silicone implants, then removal of residual silicone occurs when the capsules are removed.
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July 16, 2015
Answer: Implant removal Neither a capsulectomy or capsulotomy is necessary if you are just having your implants removed. A Capsulectomy may be needed if you are having capsular contracture with pain. In that case the capsule is removed in order to alleviate the potential involvement of the capsule in causing pain. Otherwise, you can have your implant removed through a simple procedure. Best of luck.
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July 16, 2015
Answer: Implant removal Neither a capsulectomy or capsulotomy is necessary if you are just having your implants removed. A Capsulectomy may be needed if you are having capsular contracture with pain. In that case the capsule is removed in order to alleviate the potential involvement of the capsule in causing pain. Otherwise, you can have your implant removed through a simple procedure. Best of luck.
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March 8, 2019
Answer: What is the healthiest option for explant without replacement, a capsulectomy or capsulotomy? Although precise and meaningful device would require in person consultation, some general thoughts may be helpful to you. Generally speaking, unless the breast implant capsules have thickened and/or are otherwise symptomatic (or potentially in the event of a silicone gel breast implant), there is no indication to have them removed. On the contrary, capsulectomy can expose you to additional risks, such as bleeding and minimal size loss. Having said that, I often remove a small segment of capsule tissue when removing breast implants with the hope that this maneuver will help with fluid resorption (and help prevent seroma formation). I usually use drains also. 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 for the skin to “bounce back” and for you to see the final appearance of the breasts. I hope this, and the attached link ( dedicated to breast implant removal surgery concerns), helps. Best wishes.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
March 8, 2019
Answer: What is the healthiest option for explant without replacement, a capsulectomy or capsulotomy? Although precise and meaningful device would require in person consultation, some general thoughts may be helpful to you. Generally speaking, unless the breast implant capsules have thickened and/or are otherwise symptomatic (or potentially in the event of a silicone gel breast implant), there is no indication to have them removed. On the contrary, capsulectomy can expose you to additional risks, such as bleeding and minimal size loss. Having said that, I often remove a small segment of capsule tissue when removing breast implants with the hope that this maneuver will help with fluid resorption (and help prevent seroma formation). I usually use drains also. 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 for the skin to “bounce back” and for you to see the final appearance of the breasts. I hope this, and the attached link ( dedicated to breast implant removal surgery concerns), helps. Best wishes.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
March 8, 2019
Answer: Breast implant removal It all depends on the capsule. If you have a soft capsule that is not thickened and not bothersome, then leaving it alone and closing the pocket is more than sufficient and appropriate.
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March 8, 2019
Answer: Breast implant removal It all depends on the capsule. If you have a soft capsule that is not thickened and not bothersome, then leaving it alone and closing the pocket is more than sufficient and appropriate.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
July 15, 2015
Answer: Explantation It is very controversial as to whether the entire capsule is necessary to be removed. It really depends on the severity of scar tissue with deformity and the amount of native tissue still available for tissue coverage .
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July 15, 2015
Answer: Explantation It is very controversial as to whether the entire capsule is necessary to be removed. It really depends on the severity of scar tissue with deformity and the amount of native tissue still available for tissue coverage .
Helpful