Breast Implant Removal

What is
Breast Implant Removal?

If you’ve had your breasts augmented, and later change your mind, you can opt for breast implant removal surgery, also known as breast explantation. The procedure is exactly what the name implies—the removal of the implants you received during breast augmentation surgery. It’s just as big a decision as having augmentation, and requires some thought before proceeding.

Why Have
Breast Implant Removal?

Personal Preference

• Exchange for a Different Implant Size or Type
  After you’ve had your breast implants for a while, you may become unhappy with their appearance, and decide to go either larger or smaller. If this is the case, you can have breast implant removal, and receive a different implant size that is more in line with the way you want your body to look.
  Breast implant technology has come a long way since they were first developed. Depending on how long ago you had your breasts augmented, you may have an older implant that is not as stable as those made today, which puts you at greater risk for developing complications. Removing those implants and replacing them with a different implant type can help reduce those risks, and put your mind at ease.

Implant Complications

• Saline Implant has Deflated
  Several things can cause saline implants to deflate: repeated pressure, trauma or injury to the breasts, weakness of the implant shell, or inadvertent damage to the implant before it was inserted.
  If a saline breast implant breaks, it’s not a danger to your health as your body will simply absorb the saline, usually within a few days. However, it will leave your breast (or breasts) smaller, flatter, and without the shape the implants provided. You can have breast implant removal to either replace or permanently remove the damaged implants.
• Silicone Implant has Ruptured
  The same things that can cause saline implants to deflate can also rupture silicone implants. The good news is, the silicone implants of today don’t carry the risks that previous ones did. Silicone breast implants are now made of a cohesive gel that remains intact, even if the implant is ruptured, so the silicone will not leak into your body.
  However, a rupture can still cause the appearance of your breast to change, and a damaged silicone implant must be removed or replaced through breast implant removal surgery.
• Implant is Rippling
  While saline implants are more susceptible to rippling, it can happen with any type of implant. Rippling occurs when the outer layer of the implant develops folds or wrinkles that then become visible through the skin. Possible causes are improper filling of the implant, manufacturer defect, and even weight loss. It’s rare, but it does happen, and the only solution is breast implant removal to replace or permanently remove it.

Your Health

• Infection
  Regardless of the type of surgery performed, infection is always a risk. Your surgeon and our professional medical staff will take every precaution to prevent infection from occurring, but should it happen as a result of breast augmentation surgery, it may be necessary to perform a breast implant removal in order to treat the infection.
• Capsular Contracture
  One of the most common breast augmentation risks is capsular contracture. It’s normal for scar tissue to form as a result of any surgery. However, it becomes a problem in this instance with the scar tissue becomes too tight around the implant, forming a “capsule” that squeezes the implant.
  In severe cases, your entire breast can become hardened and misshapen. This risk is minimized with subglandular implant placement, but may still occur. If it does, a capsulotomy may be required to address the scar tissue and relieve the capsule, or your surgeon may recommend breast implant removal, depending on the severity of the capsular contracture.
• Cancer or Mastectomy
  If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, breast implant removal may be necessary in order for your oncologist to properly treat you. In addition, if the cancer progresses to the point where a mastectomy is necessary, it may also be necessary to remove the implant, at least temporarily. Recovering from a mastectomy is actually a common reason for breast augmentation, which, in that case, becomes reconstructive surgery.

Your Anatomy

• Aging
  There’s no escaping the changes that happen to our bodies as we age. We can counter them, we can fight them, but we can’t prevent them. As women age, their breasts begin to sag and droop over time. Breast implants don’t prevent this. In fact, they can even make it worse.
  Breast ptosis (sagging) occurs as a result of aging, regardless of whether you have implants. However, if you have breast implants—especially large ones—it’s possible they can stretch the skin and supporting tissues. This can cause the skin and tissues to lose their strength, and affect their ability to hold up your breasts, which can make ptosis even worse. If this happens, you may want to have a breast lift, possibly performed simultaneously with breast implant removal to prevent further strain on your breasts.

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Breast Augmentation