Can saline implants be drained weeks prior to explant surgery to help determine if a breast lift is necessary?

Removal of breast implants under local is reasonable and can be done in about 10 minutes. This is not an unreasonable plan, but I would have to examine you to determine if it would be a recommendation I would make. I would just take the implants out rather than deflate and wait. I am not sure that either approach can be faulted. When they are deflated, the pockets will contract. Once implants are removed, there will likely be flattening and drooping that can be corrected in large part with a breast lift. In general, 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. No one can truly predict this as each soft tissue envelope will respond differently, but you may do well with just removal. Give yourself six months for the breasts to heal and then reevaluate.

Yes you can drain saline implants with a quick in-office procedure, and still have a capsulectomy. By doing this (called a percutaneous deflation) you will be able to see what the breasts look like without the volume. You didn't mention the size of your implants, but most often a lift is needed. You also didn't mention why you want to remove implants that are in great condition.

The implants can certainly be drained with a needle with local anesthesia in advance of the surgery, and I have done this several times. This should not affect the capsule removal, and should make complete capsule removal easier.

Thank you for sharing your question. Yes it is possible to deflate the implants prior to explant to assess the need for a lift. That said if you are removing them for BII, piercing the capsule would not be recommended. If only interested in removing the implant, and capsules are thin, then capsule removal is not necessary and deflation would be fine. Hope this helps.

Dear YinSea,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Generally speaking, it is possible to drain implants prior to their removal. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Your plan is very reasonable and has been advocated for by Plastic Surgeons at various meetings. Yes, your implants can be punctured, the saline will be reabsorbed naturally by your body and you will have some more information about a lift or no lift.

Yes, saline implants can easily be drained in the office to give you an idea of what you may expect after removal and to see if a lift will be needed. Radiofrequency skin tightening treatments like ThermiTight can also be done at the same time as the removal to help give skin tightening and lessen the chance of needing a lift in many women.

Yes, the implants can be drained prior to removal of the capsules. If your purpose in draining the implants is to determine if a lift is desired, you will want to wait approximately 6 weeks after draining to give time for the skin to retract.

Draining saline implants is very common. I recommend performing it and then waiting 6 weeks before deciding on the next procedure. This will allow time for the tissues to settle and then an intelligent decision can be made regarding the need for a breast lift. It will also make it easier to pick a new implant size if breast implant exchange is the ultimate goal.

Draining the implants is a 5 minute office procedure performed with a local anesthetic. The skin is numbed with a topical cream and a needle is inserted through the skin and into the implant. The needle is connected to a suction machine and in 2 minutes the implant is flat. It does not hurt and you can return to normal activity immediately. We charge $500 for the drainage which is then subtracted from the fee for the next procedure, if there is one.

Always consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who performs breast implant procedures frequently to assure the best possible result.