Breast Implant Removal and Lift

breast lift

More women are choosing the remove their breast implants after years of having them in place. There are multiple reasons for this but most commonly is the desire to avoid the excess weight of implants that served them well when younger but now are more of a nuisance than an asset. In addition, after having implants for a while, they invariably become more ptotic and cause the breasts to appear lower on the chest wall. For this reason, implant removal is often accompanied by a breast lift to return the breast to higher position and perky shape.

Steps Involved

  1. Implant removal and capsulectomy: This is indicated when the implant is an early generation silicone gel implant that has possibly ruptured. The free silicone from the ruptured implant will be inside the capsule, a sac of tissue that forms around the implant. The capsule will also be hardened and stiff. In these cases, the implant material and capsule are removed together.
  2. New Implant: After implant and capsule removal, the breast has lost significant volume. Many times there is enough tissue to create a pleasing breast shape without adding another implant. However, in some cases the volume remaining is not sufficient to create a pleasing breast shape. In these instances, A small cohesive breast implant is chosen in the size range of 200-225 cc to at least provide some fullness to the breast. The decision whether to use an implant or not is made in surgery. If a patient is adamant about not having an implant, other options include fat grafting to the breast.
  3. Mastopexy or Lift: The final step is the lift which usually involves incisions around the areola and along the inframammary fold. This will reshape and lift the breasts for a pleasing shape.

Recovery

The surgery takes from 3-4 hours to complete. Afterwards, you will have a support bra to use for 3 weeks. The incisions will first heal while protected by surgical tapes that remain in place for a week. These are then removed and you will place an antibiotic ointment on the incisions until fully healed in about 2 weeks. After this you can start a silicone gel cream to massage the scars and ensure pleasing scars.