Dr. Boyd

Breast Implant Removal (Breast Explant Surgery) in Los Angeles

What Is Breast Implant Removal?


Breast implant removal is a type of breast revision surgery designed to remove implants from a previous augmentation.

Sometimes, implant removal is necessary due to complications, such as capsular contracture, rupture, rippling, asymmetry, double bubble, or breast implant illness (BII). However, these are not the only reasons a woman may want to remove her current implants.

Dr. Boyd has over 30 years of experience in aesthetic breast surgery. He helps many patients from South Bay, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles, and out of town achieve their desired results.

What Are the Benefits of Breast Implant Removal?


  • Improved Breast Shape

    If your breast implants did not give you the shape you were hoping for, either because of incorrect size, asymmetry, or malposition, then implant removal — coupled with breast revision surgery — can help improve the shape of your breasts by removing the original implant and replacing it with a new one. Additionally, fat grafting can be performed to enhance breast volume slightly or breast lift surgery can be chosen to correct acquired droopiness.

  • Resized Breasts

    After having breast implants, some women become unhappy with their breast implants or change their minds about the size of their bust. If you wish to reduce the implant size or are ready to go bigger, then breast revision surgery can help you achieve your goals. In the event that you want to remove your implants without replacements, coupling implant removal with breast lift surgery and/or fat grafting can maintain a youthful shape.

  • Implant Replacement After Complications

    When rippling or rupture occurs, the implants can appear uneven and distorted. Breast implant removal will remove the defective devices and replace them with new implants. There are many different materials, projections, sizes, and textures available, so you have many options to best meet your individual aesthetic preferences. Placing the new implants in a different plane may be beneficial.

What Is the Breast Implant Removal Process?


Anesthesia

To ensure a comfortable and safe experience, general anesthesia is administered before and during surgery.

Although general anesthesia is usually preferred, you can discuss your options with Dr. Boyd during your consultation and establish which method of sedation is recommended in your particular case.

Replacing Breast Implants

Simple up- or down-sizing of your breast implants is usually performed through an incision in the fold under each breast (inframammary fold). When a lift is combined with the explantation, the incisions encircle the nipple-areolar complexes and extend vertically down to the fold in the form of a “lollipop.”

The implants are removed and may or may not be replaced with new ones, depending on the patient’s preference. The incisions are then closed using buried, absorbable sutures.

Fat grafting leaves tiny scars that are hard to see after six months.

Implant Removal Techniques

The implants can be removed in different ways. Partial capsulectomy removes the breast implants and parts of the capsule (the scar tissue around the breast implants), while a complete capsulectomy removes the entire capsule and the contained breast implants. A capsulotomy simply releases the capsule by making serial incisions around its perimeter.

Capsular tissue is usually removed piecemeal through the inframammary incision. “En bloc” excision implies that the capsule and the contained implant are removed in one intact piece. This is useful if the implant has ruptured since the spill is contained within the capsule.

These procedures are part and parcel of explantation or explant surgery.

What Happens After Breast Implant Removal?


Your recovery from breast implant removal should be similar to that of your primary breast augmentation. Your chest may be swollen, sore, and bruised for the first few days. A compression garment is used to help support your breasts. Most patients can resume light activities within one week.

A five to seven-centimeter incision is made in the fold under each breast. When possible, this incision will be made in the same location as your initial augmentation. This will eliminate any additional scarring.

With lifts and reductions, an incision is placed around each areola at its junction with the normal breast skin. A vertical incision extends downward from the six o’clock position on the areola to the fold under the breast. The incisions (and their resulting scars) are designed to be unobtrusive, meaning they may be covered by a bra or bikini top and should fade with time.

The cost for breast implant removal will vary depending on whether you plan to replace the implants, have a lift, undergo reduction or receive fat grafting, and on which method of anesthesia you require. The length of surgery is a major factor. These details will be discussed during your initial consultation with Dr. Boyd.

Minimal pain is experienced during breast implant removal recovery and can be controlled using oral medications.

Breast Implant Removal Before & After Photos


Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Implant Removal

Any woman dissatisfied with her breast implants and wants them removed can be a candidate for breast implant removal surgery. This procedure can either remove the implants without replacement or include new implants in place of the old ones.

You will be asked to stop smoking and taking any anti-inflammatory medications (including aspirin, NSAIDs, and some herbal supplements). You will also be asked to limit your alcohol consumption.

You should schedule a driver to take you to and from our facility and have someone stay with you for at least the first night while you recuperate. Dr. Boyd will provide preoperative and postoperative care instructions that should be followed closely.

If you develop a condition called capsular contracture, you may require a capsulectomy. Capsular contracture is when the scar tissue around your breast implant hardens around your implant. This can be painful and cause malformation of the breast. However, everyone will form some kind of capsule, since it is the body’s normal reaction to wall off foreign material. Most are soft and flimsy and do not require removal unless there has been a spillage of silicone.

A capsulectomy involves removing the hardened scar tissue along with your breast implant. These procedures can be performed together.

Some patients may need a breast lift along with their breast implant removal. In general, patients with larger implants that have been in place longer are more likely to need a breast lift. This is because removing the breast implant does not remove the skin and other tissues that have stretched and lost elasticity. A breast lift can correct this.

Patients may combine their breast explant surgery with a breast lift or choose to undergo a breast lift at a later date. Dr. Boyd usually recommends combining the procedures.

Your breast implants will be removed, usually with any surrounding scar tissue (capsule). Individual results will differ based on the amount of native breast tissue you possess, the looseness of your tissues, your personal preference, and whether additional surgery is performed.

Your breast implants are permanently gone, and if new implants are inserted, they will provide a long-lasting cleavage enhancement. Many patients choose to forego implant replacement and simply have a breast lift using their natural breast tissue. This may be enhanced by fat grafting when the individual does not want a second prosthesis.

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Our Location

Dr. Boyd's office is located in Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills Estates)

550 Deep Valley Drive, Suite 283
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

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