Help! Doctor/surgery center says its "illegal" to give me my implants back after explant today!

While I can't say what other facilities do, at my surgery center some patients have taken their implants home after they have been adequately sterilized.  This assumes that the implant is intact and not ruptured.  If that's the case, then the implant must be sent back to the company for analysis and so obviously the patient cannot take it home.I hope that helps!

If breast implants are removed for medical reasons then they
have to be sent to pathology for examination and documentation.If the implant is considered a “study implant”,
then they have to be sent back to the manufacturer.

Due to federal OHSA laws, no patients can have their implants unless the implants have been sterilized.  If the saline implants are ruptured, we are required to send them to the manufacturer. Ruptured gel implants cannot be sterilized, and have to be discarded with surgical wastes. Some surgery centers and hospitals have policies that anything removed from the body needs to be sent to pathology.  Anything removed from the body has the potential to cause infection, and must be handled properly.

The surgery center I operate at won't give implants directly back to the patient either. I usually take the implants after they have "decontaminated" them (usually by soaking them in some sort of sterilizing fluid) and then I give them to the patient.  Ultimately, they are your property and you have the right to get them. Below is a link to an article/policy from AORN. It is not expressly forbidden to return an article like this, but they have to follow certain procedures regarding the handling of "bio hazardous" materials.

Breast implants that are removed for any reason are either1: Medical waste, and should be treated as Hazardous waste and disposed of appropriately.2: Pathological specimen that is sent to pathology for identification. This is done for documentation in the medical records

In general, implants are examined after removal for identification, and they can be considered both part of the medical record and, in a sense, hazardous or medical waste.However, there were many times in the past when patients were given their implants; often as part of a legal action versus the implant manufacturers.  That was probably done at a time when policies regarding this had not yet been established by the medical institutions and, to the extent that that's changed, you may be facing the new policies.  They have also been used for forensic purposes.Perhaps with another contact you may be able to get them or, at least, an explanation (as to why not) that you're more comfortable with.  I hope that this helps and good luck,Dr. Alan EnglerMember of RealSelf100

Explanted breast implants are medical waste or pathological specimens.  This is done for documentation for medical records.