More and more women in the United States are having breast implants. In fact, it is estimated that almost 400,000 women go through augmentation surgery every year, some for cosmetic reasons and others after breast cancer surgery. While most are happy with their new breasts, some patients come to see us at eSSe Plastic Surgery in Fort Lauderdale, FL about breast implant removal.
There are various reasons why women want to have their implants taken out. They might have changed their mind, experienced complications, been diagnosed with breast cancer, or want to make space for larger implants. Your doctor at the clinic will be happy to evaluate your situation and let you know whether implant removal is right for you. We can also help you figure out whether you need a breast lift after your removal surgery.
Most people can have their breast implant removed quickly. In fact, the surgery might not even be performed under general anesthesia, especially if the implant is intact. When you call or message the clinic, you will be invited to an initial consultation, during which your surgeon can assess your breasts and tell you more about the removal procedure. In some cases, a breast lift is recommended to maintain the round, smooth shape of the breasts.
A simple implant removal doesn’t usually require general anesthesia, so you can be in and out of the clinic in a few hours. Your surgeon might administer intravenous sedation, which helps you to feel relaxed and calm during the procedure. Once this has taken effect, the provider makes an incision in the darker part of your breast, called the areola.
The implants and scar tissue are removed through this cut, and if you’d like new implants, they are inserted into your breasts. Then, the incisions are closed with tape, stitches, or a skin adhesive. It could take a few hours for the sedation to wear off, and your doctor may require you to rest at the clinic for a while before going home.
Some women experience issues with their breasts that require a removal of the implant. For instance, they might have excess scar tissue, a condition that is also called capsular contracture, or the cushion could have ruptured or deflated. In such a situation, the surgery might be more complex, and a more thorough pre-operative analysis will be necessary.
If your saline implant has ruptured, the liquid can be removed, and the deflated implant can be taken out of your breast quite easily. However, if you have a silicone implant that is leaking, your surgery might take longer.
The first step is to contact your local clinic and attend an initial consultation. During the meeting, your doctor can assess your situation and let you know whether you’re a good candidate for a breast implant removal. Then, they can tell you what to do before the procedure. You might have to adjust your regular medication or temporarily take some drugs that make the surgery safer for you.
Additionally, your provider will speak to you about your lifestyle habits and ask you to stop using products containing tobacco. Smoking increases the risk of complications because it reduces the body’s ability to heal wounds and recover from anesthesia.
Before surgery, your doctor will speak to you about the recovery process. In the first few days after this treatment, you should rest at home and avoid any strenuous activity. After around one week, you can resume most activities, but it could take 2-3 weeks for you to be able to do physically taxing tasks like heavy lifting or long bouts of cardio exercise.
Some patients have to take special medication after their implant surgery. Additionally, your doctor will let you know how you should care for the incision sites as they heal. Once the outcome of the surgery becomes clear, you’ll be invited to a follow-up appointment. At that time, we can examine your breasts to see if you’ve healed well, and you can let us know whether you’re happy with the result.
Some women, especially those in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, don’t require additional surgery after they have their implants removed. Their tissue is firm, and their breasts look good after the operation. Others have new implants inserted, either to slightly decrease or further increase the size of their breasts.
Occasionally, a patient experiences sagging skin and loose tissue after their implant removal. In such cases, we can perform a surgical lift to re-shape the breast. If you’re interested in having your tissues raised and wrinkles removed, you can speak to your surgeon about combining implant removal with a breast lift.
Most people are extremely happy with their breast augmentation, and the only reason why implant removal is becoming more popular is the sheer volume of American women who have implants. If you have capsular contracture, your surgeon can treat you without removing your implants, but if the cushions have ruptured or deflated, you might need to have them removed and replaced.
Similarly, some women would like to further increase the size of their breasts, so they need to have the old implants removed in order to make space for new ones. Occasionally, we remove implants from women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Over time, our desired body shape changes. Several years after getting your breast implants, you might feel that they are now too small or too big for you. If this is the case, you should come to speak to the providers at your clinic. We can assess your current condition and let you know whether you can remove your old implants and have new ones inserted.
Some women change their minds after having breast augmentation surgery. They might not like the new size of their breasts, or their body could have changed over time, making the implants unsuitable. Fortunately, breast augmentation is easily reversible, so you can have your implants removed at any time if you no longer want them.
If you’ve heard negative things about implants in the media and are now worried about complications, you should speak to your plastic surgeon. They can reassure you that you are not at risk. Studies have shown that both silicone and saline implants are safe for the vast majority of patients, so there is no reason to be concerned.
Although breast augmentation isn’t generally risky, women occasionally experience complications. This is especially likely if the surgeon who placed their original implants did not have the necessary experience to do so correctly.
Patients whose implants have ruptured, shifted, or deflated shouldn’t hesitate to speak to their local provider and ask for breast implant removal. Similarly, those with capsular contracture sometimes prefer to have their implants taken out.
Breast augmentation is not linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. But since almost 13% of women will suffer from this disease at some point, it’s possible that you are diagnosed with breast cancer after having augmentation surgery.
If this is the case, you should book an appointment with your surgeon to determine whether you should have your implants removed before you start treatment. This might not always be necessary, and some patients feel more comfortable leaving them in, while others want to have them taken out.
Women opt for breast implant removal for a wide variety of reasons. They might have changed their mind about their implants, have received a breast cancer diagnosis, experienced complications, or they might simply want to make space for new implants. The removal process isn’t very complicated, especially if the implant is still intact, and you shouldn’t need to spend more than a week recovering from the surgery.
Once your implants have been removed, you might be able to leave your breasts as they are, especially if your tissue is youthful. However, some women opt for a breast lift to resolve issues such as sagging skin and a loss of volume. Get in touch with us now at eSSe Plastic Surgery in Fort Lauderdale, FL to book an initial consultation with a plastic surgeon. We will be more than happy to evaluate your situation and book you in for implant removal.
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