Breast Implant Removal - Bakersfield, CA

Whether or not to have your breast implants removed for health reasons is a personal decision that you should make alongside your doctor. The vast majority of breast augmentation patients remain very happy with their implants. However, a small number of patients who have explanation surgery are also happy with their decision. 

While every person's reason for having his or her breast implants removed are personal, here are the most common reasons for having explant surgery:

• personal preference
• capsular contracture
• implant rupture
• a desire to rule out implants as a source of health problems
• medical necessity

Breast implant removal is an appropriate option as long as it is what the patient wants. The surgery can be performed safely. If you do want to have your breast implants removed, you'll want to choose a board certified plastic surgeon who has experience in this procedure. 

You may also want to look into breast implant revision surgery, or breast reconstruction. 

Breast implant removal surgery, or explanation, is typically performed as an outpatient procedure. We use general anesthesia, although in some cases, local anesthesia can be used to remove saline implants. 

Whenever possible, we use the same incision site used for the initial breast augmentation procedure. Through this incision, we carefully remove the implant and the surrounding scar tissue, then close the incisions. 

You typically need less downtime after explanation than you did after your breast augmentation. For most patients, 5 days off is plenty of time. However, you may want to refrain from strenuous exercise and lifting for a few weeks, just until your incisions heal. 

Your breasts will be smaller, and depending on how long you've had your implants, how large the implants were compared to your natural breasts' size, whether or not you've had children, your breasts may look similar to or very different from before your augmentation. 

It's important to keep in mind that having implants doesn't freeze the aging process, nor does it prevent other tissue changes.

Immediately after surgery, you can expect some swelling, bruising and soreness, just like you did after your breast augmentation. 

Your breast implant removal scars will be present, although they should fade over time. 

This is a specific explantation technique that involves removing the breast implant and surrounding capsule of scar tissue as one single piece. With this technique, the capsule is separated from the surrounding breast tissue without breaking it. It's then removed with the implant still sealed inside. 

There are a few benefits for en bloc capsulectomy. This certainly holds true if we're removing a ruptured silicone implant. Keeping the capsule intact ensures that the silicone is contained. We'll also recommend an en bloc capsulectomy if a complication, such as BIA-ALCL is suspected.

However, the en bloc capsulectomy technique does not come without its drawbacks. First, a much larger incision is required. We cannot collapse or squeeze the implant or capsule during the removal. Second, it's not always a safe or practical option. This especially holds true if the capsule is very thin or is closely adhered to the chest tissue. 

The en bloc capsulectomy technique is not the only one that allows for complete removal of the capsule and breast implant. For most patients, it's better to open the capsule, carefully remove the implant, close it, and then go back and release the capsule from the surrounding breast tissue before removing it.