Breast Implant Removal

Transcript

Silicone breast implants do not last forever. The average time patients keep their implants is around 12 years, although it can be over 20. There are several reasons why patients might want or need to have their implants removed, and a thorough discussion of the options is needed for each patient. Increasingly, as the modern aesthetic changes to a more athletic look, and as we focus on more well-being in society, many patients want to have their breast implants removed. Given the concerns about breast implant illness and ALCL, detailed elsewhere on my website, patients need to be guided through that decision-making process, and in particular, we need to discuss what best to do with the capsule scar tissue that sits around the breast implant. This is quite a complex issue, particularly as new scientific data is reported and recommendations therefore change. Following breast implant removal and irrespective of the decision on what to do with the capsule, the breast can look very empty or saggy. For this reason, the majority of patients who have their implants removed also request additional procedures to limit the visible impact of the volume loss. These procedures include fat transfer or lipofilling and breast uplift or mastopexy. These additional procedures are carried out at the same time as the implant removal, and there are some specialised techniques in this area of surgery to manage the empty pocket where the breast implant sat. For example, I often use a technique called auto-augmentation, which involves positioning the lower part of the breast into the pocket of the implant to produce a more aesthetic and youthful result.