Breast Implant Removal- What will I Look Like After?*

There are a variety of reasons for breast implant removal. Most common are contracture and implant rupture. Many woman have ruptured implants without realizing it. Often, capsular contracture will be the first sign that the implant is leaking. Physical exam is not very reliable in establishing ruptured gel implants. Mammography is also not very sensitive. MRI remains the best diagnostic modality. This 57 year old woman had 35 year old implants . Surprisingly, they remained fairly soft for most of her adulthood. She had a mammogram which did reveal rupture. If a mammogram reveals rupture- it usually is pretty significant as it is not the best diagnostic tool so findings are obvious She desired explantation without replacement. She wondered how she would look postoperatively. This is an obvious concern of woman undergoing removal. Although it is difficult to know fully what the effect of removal will be, an experienced plastic surgeon should be able to advise patients about predicted appearance. This patient had gained weight over the 35 years that she had implants and was not too concerned about size. After explantation, she was quite happy with her breast appearance. If patients have large implants relative to breast tissue and have drooping- breast lift and some fat grafting can be performed. In many cases, breast tissue is adequate to support a reasonable size post lifting. When post op outcome is unpredictable, it is better to wait before doing more surgery.