Explant with capsulectomy recovery expectations. 8 year old saline implants. Any suggestions?

I kinda love everything you are saying here. The doctor should be doing at least a partial capsulectomy as you indicated, and repair the muscle, and inject exparel into the muscle repair, as he or she is doing. All doctors that say "it doesn't hurt at all" are usually sliding out the implant without doing the important part, i.e., the pec repair and making the breast look good again. The pain is very mild with the exparel, expect to have a few days of taking narcotics at most.

Exparel should help manage your pain for the first few days when pain is typically worst. After the first few days to a week patients are often able to manage with over the counter pain medications. You will need to wear compression as directed by your surgeon. Lifting restrictions will also be in place in most cases.

Thanks for your question about breast implant removal.You should expect to do well and likely have less pain than you did with your augmentation.  One thing to consider is the options during removal of your current implants.  Make sure to discuss your expectations for recovery and also post operative appearance.  In my practice I visit with many patients that want their implants removed and in many cases we can remove implants and control the postoperative shape with a lift, internal lift, fat grafting, and in some cases switch to smaller implants which can provide a nice natural and durable result.  Make sure to visit with a board certified plastic surgeon to review your best option.Best WishesSteven Camp MD#HappyCamperMD

Thank you for your question.  If your capsule is soft there isn't any real need to remove it during the procedure.  Most patients don't have a significant amount of post op discomfort.  This usually can be done without the need for general anesthesia.  Good luck.  

Explantation surgery is usually not very painful.  I do not ever have the need to use exparel for post op pain control. If your surgery is performed by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who performs a lot of explantation surgeries then this should be an easy recovery.  Best of luck to you

I would expect a quick recovery and without the capsulectomy there would be little to no pain.  You may wish to discuss this option with your surgeon.  Hope this helps.Dr. Ali Mosharrafa

 Thank you for your question. Generally removal of an implant has a faster recovery than placement of the implant. There are number of unique ways in order to improve pain control. Use of local Anesthetic helps in this regard. Best wishes Theodore T Nyame M.D. 

Thank you for the question.Breast implant removal recovery surgery is usually almost painless and associated with a faster return to activities compared to the breast augmentation procedure. You should be able to resume your activities relatively quickly after removal of breast implants, barring any complications. Your plastic surgeon will be able to guide you more specifically but most patients this return to vigorous activity may be as early as 3 to 4 weeks after this type of surgery.Best wishes.

I have never used exparel with breast surgery.  There is little to no pain with this surgery.  Consult with an experienced board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options.

If you have saline implants and they are only 8 years old and the breasts are soft I can see no reason to do a capsulectomy as leaving a thin soft capsule is never an issue. We do it all the time. The capsulectomy is a significant operation that is sometimes required if the capsule is thickened or calcified or if the patient has an older style silicone implant. Maybe you would do well to get some more consultations. Implant removal has a fast and nearly painless recovery and does not require expensive meds like exparel .