The Truth About Breast Implant Removal: Reclaim Your Femininity, Naturally

If it seems like more and more women are undergoing breast implant removal, it’s true. Since 2020, the number of explant surgeries has risen sharply – by almost 65%. The reasons range from aesthetic to medical concerns. Maybe you never liked how big your surgeon went, and your implants always felt too large. It’s also possible you are dealing with capsular contracture, pain, implant malposition or other changes in your breasts and you know want your implants out. And you know you never want another implant again.

If you’ve had breast implants for 10 years or more, you too may be considering a change. One of the most common questions we hear from our patients is “What will I look like if I take these implants out?” Perhaps you recall feeling very small before augmentation and worry that you’ll be flat again. Some women are concerned they will no longer look or feel feminine. I have good news for you! Removing your implants does not mean you have to go flat. There are several ways to reshape your breasts using the tissue you already have. And chances are good that you may have more tissue than you realize.

After 10, 15 or even 20 years with implants, your breasts are not the same breasts you had before your original augmentation.

Your skin has changed. Your breast tissue has changed. Your overall body has changed. You may be in perimenopause or menopause. That means your breast implant removal should not just be about taking an implant out. It’s about tailoring the result to meet your needs today, by creating the best breast shape possible for the body you have right now.

Depending on your anatomy and goals, we may consider:

• A breast lift with autoaugmentation
• Muscle repair
• A smaller implant as a later procedure
• Or a combination of these approaches

Regardless of what you choose, you are in the driver’s seat the whole way. There is no “I wanted a full C and woke up much larger than I expected.” Rather, if you decide to replace the implants, we have ways of making sure you are the decisionmaker on final implant size.

Can I Have My Implants Removed and Still Look Feminine?

Absolutely. One option is an autoaugmentation breast lift, which uses your own breast tissue to create shape and fullness in the top of your breast after implant removal.

Rather than adding another implant, we reposition the breast tissue you already have to create a lifted, more youthful contour that is compact. Simultaneously, we remove sagging, loose skin. This can be an excellent option if you’re thinking, “I want my implants gone, but I don’t want to look deflated.”

The amount of tissue available and the amount of skin excess you have will determine how much volume and projection we can create with your own tissue. During your consultation, I will show you what you can expect as your final breast size.

Patient Before and After Photos

Look at the beautiful improvement after Dr. Tannan removed oversized implants placed by another surgeon and lifted the breast tissue with auto-augmentation techniques show below. This shifted her breast from sagging below the implant to be raised and supported by mesh and surgical reconstruction.

What If My Implant Was Under the Muscle?

If you have a submuscular implant, we will plan to repair and reposition the pectoral muscle during implant removal. Over time, especially after dual plane breast augmentation, your pec major muscle can become displaced by the implant. It can shorten and shift up. In appropriate patients, repairing the muscle can help restore a more natural relationship between the muscle and breast tissue, and it can improve shoulder function.

This is one reason your implant removal treatment plan should be individualized rather than treated as a simple “explant.”

What If I Just Want a Smaller Implant Instead?

You don’t necessarily have to make that decision immediately. We can remove your older, larger implants and reshape the breast, then determine whether you actually want additional volume. If you do, a much smaller implant may be an option. I will show you what you can expect after the surgery in terms of final breast size, and if you think there is a chance you would be happy without another implant, we recommend holding off on doing breast implants until 6-9 months later.

In my experience, 80-90% of women realize they love their breasts without implants. And, you don’t have to put another one back in.

If you know that you definitely want an implant, then we can approach it one of two ways:

• We can plan to replace the implant immediately in the same operation, or
• We can stage it and separate the implant placement into a second procedure. While that may seem like a lot, people select that option so they can stand up in the office and try on different implants to figure out what they like best. That is impossible to do if you have existing silicone implants.

For women with saline implants, we recommend preoperative implant deflation to see what your breast volume looks like and to help your tissues contract on their own. This can help you understand how you look and feel with less volume before making this big decision.

What If I Have Capsular Contracture?

Capsular contracture is another common reason women with older implants decide they’re ready to move on. The capsule is the scar tissue your body naturally forms around an implant. When that capsule becomes unusually tight or firm, it can cause hardness, discomfort or distortion. Look at the video below to see what makes those implants feel firm in a real live surgical patient with capsular contracture.

If you have capsular contracture and you feel like you want these implants out and never want implants again, we can discuss an implant-free approach. Depending on your situation, treatment often includes implant removal, total or partial capsule removal, breast lift, autoaugmentation and muscle repair when appropriate. Capsular contracture is complicated, and we approach each case differently. The best way to know what you would need is to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Not every capsular contracture breast implant removal needs a breast lift, so we highly recommend getting expert opinions.

Real Surgical Video

Watch Dr. Tannan perform total capsulectomy for capsular contracture, remove silicone implants that are more than 35 years old, and perform autoaugmentation mastopexy

This is the part I want every woman to understand. Breast implant removal doesn’t mean you are going backward. You don’t have to recreate the breasts you had at 25. And you don’t have to continue living with breasts that feel too large or no longer fit your body. Together, we can create a new breast shape that reflects who you are now.

Maybe that’s a smaller, lifted breast. Perhaps it’s your own tissue without an implant. Or, maybe it’s a small implant. It’s possible you’re not sure yet – that’s ok. There are so many ways to approach breast implant removal, and you don’t have to know the answer before your consultation.

For a woman who has lived with implants for a decade or longer, the decision doesn’t have to be black and white. It is not like you have to decide, “should I keep them or go flat.”

Your options may include:

• Implant removal + breast lift
• Implant removal + autoaugmentation breast lift using your own tissue
• Pectoralis major muscle repair
• Replacement with a smaller implant, above or below your muscle
• Deflation of saline implants
• Implant removal now with a decision about adding an implant later

The right choice depends on your breast tissue, skin quality, implant position, capsule and, most importantly, what you want.

If you’ve been thinking about removing your implants after 10 or more years, you don’t have to decide everything at once. You may be able to remove what you no longer want while preserving or rebuilding the shape you do want.

At Tannan Plastic Surgery in Raleigh, we can evaluate your breasts, talk through your goals and help you understand what is realistically possible with your own tissue, with a smaller implant or without implants altogether.

Your breasts don’t have to look like they did before augmentation. They don’t have to look like they did with your old implants. They can look like you, now.

Ready to discuss your breast implant removal options to learn what will work best for your goals? Schedule a consultation with Dr. Shruti Tannan, a board-certified plastic surgeon, with extensive experience in breast reconstruction. (919) 797-0996.