Breast Implant Removal
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Breast augmentation is one of the most gratifying procedures a woman can have during their lifetime and that is evidenced by the twenty million patients with implants today. Some patients require secondary surgery for one reason or another during their lifetime. For example, a patient may, at some point, want to change the size of their breasts or may develop sagging of their breast with the aging process. And there are some patients who decide, at some point in their life, to remove their breast implants.
Reasons to Remove Breast Implants
Despite the gratification that breast implants bring to patients, some may simply decide at some point they wish to have their implants removed permanently. Other patients may have developed some problems with their implants from their initial procedure or develop issues with time. An example of the first situation is that a small percentage of patients may have developed some thickening of the scar around the implant after their initial surgery. This scar can affect how the implants look and feel, but despite this change in shape, most patients would rather have the shape the implant has given them rather than have them removed. At some point, however, the patient may simply feel the implants are no longer important for them as they used to be and wish to have the implant removed. Some patients may feel frustrated and unsure as to whether to remove their implants. And that is why it is a very good idea to discuss all of the alternatives with a plastic surgeon to see which alternative is best for you, for your wishes and goals and for your specific anatomy.
An example of an issue that may occur long after breast augmentation surgery is the development of drooping with the aging process or after childbirth and breast feeding. These processes may cause looseness of the skin of the breast with resultant sagging. Most patients wish to retain their implants and wish the sagging corrected but there are a smaller number of patients who simply wish to have their implants permanently removed and a breast lift performed.
Breast Implant Illness
Uncommonly, some patients may develop symptoms such as memory loss, body pains, and joint pains and feel their symptoms may be caused by their breast implants. They then seek consultation regarding their removal. Though the phrase “breast implant illness” appears on the internet many times over, there has been no scientific correlation between these symptoms and the presence of breast implants, either saline or silicone gel.
Despite this lack of correlation between illness symptoms and breast implants, patients may opt to have their implants removed to see if their symptoms will abate. As patients are healthy, it is certainly safe to remove implants in these situations.
Other Breast Procedures:
– Breast Reduction
– Breast Lift
– Boob Lift
– Other Breast Procedures
Frequently Asked Questions
Breast Implants are used to enlarge the breast but, just as important to improve on breast shape. Therefore, removal of breast implants leads to a loss of shape. The greatest effect of removal of a breast implant is the loss of fullness in the upper part of the breast, often referred to as the “upper pole”. When breast implants are removed, a breast lift is generally performed. Restoration of upper pole fullness with the lift is never as good as with an implant, depending greatly on how the initial breast augmentation procedure was performed. Some patients with good natural breast volume may retain a part of their shape with the implant removal.
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Breast implant removal involves making an incision within a previous scar and a breast lift is generally performed to tighten the skin. Besides some slight burning in the recovery room, most patients report no pain the next day. In some circumstances, the scar that formed around the implant is removed and there can be some pain associated with this part of the procedure which can last about 48 hours. Since there is not a lot of pain associated with breast implant removal, recovery is rapid generally, and all patients are walking outside the next morning after their procdure and back to their daily activities after a few days.
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After implants are removed, the space the implants were in collapses and the body heals the area by reorganizing the scar.
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The use of drains for implant removal is dependent on the patient’s breast implant problems and the recommendations of the treating plastic surgeon. When patients have capsular contracture, many plastic surgeons place drains to prevent fluid formation in the pocket after implant removal.
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The degree to which the breast will be flat is determined by how much native breast tissue the patient has prior to implant removal. Most importantly, patients must be sensitive to the fact that the upper pole of the breast will be less full after removal of the implants.
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Sometimes, it may be recommended that the scar around the implant be kept intact and not removed. This is because the scar around the implant does not contain any disease and the risk of bleeding and even getting into the chest cavity at surgery is higher. It s very important to discuss the benefits and risks of removing implants and the different types of removal with a plastic surgeon.
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Since breast implants are performed for cosmetic purposes, insurance pays poorly for their removal. Plastic surgeons are generally sensitive regarding patient’s wishes for implant removal, and therefore give discounts for their removal.
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Breast implant removal surgery, also known as explantation, is very safe when performed by a plastic surgeon, has rapid healing and a quick return to work and other activities.
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