Breast Implant Removal in Gilbert, AZ

Women choose to have their breast implants removed for various personal reasons. Some of the most common contributions to this decision include physical pain or discomfort associated with implants, changes to their personal aesthetic preferences, life events, or medical concerns.

As women get older and experience lifestyle changes, their perceptions of comfort and beauty can also shift. This can lead them to reconsider their implants. Physical discomforts, including back, shoulder, or neck pain, can also contribute to their explant decision. Some women may experience medical complications like capsular contracture, where scar tissue forms around the implant, causing distortion and terrible discomfort.

Life events, or the anticipation of such, like starting a family, which includes pregnancy and breastfeeding, can also lead women to undergo breast explant surgery.

Like with any surgical procedure, breast implant removal does come with its own set of risks. These can include infection, bleeding, and changes to breast sensation. Additionally, there is the chance of aesthetic issues, such as uneven breast appearance or scarring. At DrSkin Med Spa, these risks are carefully managed by Dr. Jaiswal and our team of physicians. Our approach includes thorough surgical assessments, advanced surgical techniques, and meticulous post-operative protocols.

Yes, Dr. Jaiswal does offer the option of returning volume to your breasts using fat grafting. A fat grafting procedure involves healthy, viable fat cells being extracted from a secondary location on the body, such as the stomach, thighs, back, or buttocks. Once extracted, the fat is purified and prepared for insertion into the breasts. This method of breast enhancement delivers subtle, natural-looking volume back to the breast without an implant.

The cost of your breast implant removal procedure will be discussed during your final consultation at our Arizona office. During your consultation, Dr. Jaiswal will provide you with an estimated quote based on your individual needs.

The cost of your breast implant removal surgery may include:

• Surgeon’s fees
• Necessary medical tests
• Medical prescriptions
• Post-surgical garments
• Localized anesthesia fees

Breast implant removal surgery is an in-office procedure and takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete. As with all surgeries, a medical evaluation and lab testing are required. It’s also important that patients stop smoking and avoid medications that prevent clotting and increase bleeding, like Aspirin, NSAIDs, and some herbal supplements. It’s also vitally important that patients have a caretaker, family member, or friend available to transport them to and from the office, as they will not be able to drive following surgery. Finally, scheduling time off from work and other responsibilities, such as sleep and rest, is critical to recovery. At DrSkin Med Spa, we provide a full list of pre-and post-operative instructions to ensure patients receive the care, guidance, and surgical outcomes they expect.

Breast implant removal surgery is typically performed in the office under local anesthesia at DrSkin Med Spa. However, patients who prefer to be completely asleep, under general anesthesia, or those combining explant surgery with additional procedure(s) may opt to undergo surgery in the operating room. Patients can expect to be supervised by a board-certified anesthesiologist if performed in the OR. Regardless of where the surgery is performed, once anesthesia has been provided to ensure a comfortable and painless procedure, Dr. Jaiswal will begin the surgical process by making an incision around the areola or in the fold under the breast. Often, the incisions made will be in the same location as the original incisions or breast scar, minimizing the potential for new scars to develop. After removing the implant, Dr. Jaiswal will close the incisions with sutures and skin adhesives.

There are four different types of breast implant removal procedures to consider when evaluating explant surgery.

Simple Implant Removal

The most basic method of explantation surgery involves removing the implant and leaving the surrounding scar tissue intact. Your plastic surgeon may opt for this technique if you have not experienced any visual or aesthetic issues with your implant, are not in pain or discomfort, and have no signs of rupture or capsular contracture.

Partial Capsulectomy

One of the easier and less invasive options involves removing the implant and some surrounding scar tissue. The remaining tissue remains intact and may be partially or completely reabsorbed over time. Post-operative discomfort is minimal, and recovery is quick and easy, as subtotal capsulectomy is one of the least involved options for explant surgery.

Complete Capsulectomy

Utilizing this technique, your plastic surgeon will remove your breast implants and the surrounding capsule encased in scar tissue. This method of explant surgery is preferred when abnormally thick, dark, and hard tissue forms over and around your breast implants. If you’re experiencing breast pain, tightness, and distortion, it may be a side effect of capsular contracture. During your consultation, your plastic surgeon will determine if you have experienced capsular contracture or another condition that may require a total or complete capsulectomy, like implant rupture, infection, or cancer.

En Bloc Capsulectomy

The most comprehensive and high-risk option, this explant technique, is reserved for select cases, often associated with large cell lymphoma or breast implant illness. Your plastic surgeon will remove your breast implants and the surrounding scar tissue capsule as one completely intact unit.

Regardless of which method or technique is employed, at DrSkin Med Spa, our team of physicians, led under the expert guidance of 16-year veteran and Top 100 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Rohit Jaiswal, MD, will determine which Breast Implant Removal technique is necessary to obtain the safest and best possible outcomes for each case and patient.

Breast implant removal surgery is painless because patients are sedated under local anesthesia when performed in the office or completely asleep under general anesthesia when performed in the operating room. However, minor tenderness, mild discomfort, and modest swelling can be expected immediately following surgery and may persist for 1 to 2 weeks during the initial stages of recovery.

Breast explant surgery can be paired with numerous surgical procedures to enhance a patient’s overall aesthetic, self-esteem, and natural beauty. The most common procedures combined with breast implant removal address volume and skin laxity issues. These surgical treatments are commonly associated with correcting and restoring a woman’s native breast tissue and natural appearance.

Breast lift

Whether you’re replacing old, worn, or damaged breast implants or are simply removing them without replacements in mind, a breast lift will remove excess skin and reshape existing breast tissue. This surgery may also involve total repositioning of the areola and nipple complex due to significant skin laxity and volume loss.

Fat Grafting

Commonly referred to as fat transfer or lipoaugmentation, fat grafting is an advanced surgical technique that involves harvesting your body’s fat cells from a secondary donor site rich in healthy, viable fat clusters like your abdomen, thighs, or flanks. Once harvested, your plastic surgeon will wash the adipose in an antibiotic solution and reinject it into your breast tissue to introduce and add volume back into your breasts following breast explant removal.

Tummy Tuck

Also known as abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck removes excess skin and some fat while tightening abdominal muscles. This is one of the most common procedures to do at the same time as a breast explant. This procedure is particularly beneficial for post-pregnancy rejuvenation or significant weight loss corrections. Many women recognize that their breasts will lose volume and be much smaller, and they would like their abdomen to be smaller to match and maintain optimal body proportions and contours.

Liposuction

This procedure can sculpt and refine various body areas by removing diet and exercise-resistant fat deposits, which complements the breast explant by enhancing overall body contour.

Body Contouring Procedures

These procedures add additional contouring options for those seeking more comprehensive and robust results, such as mommy makeovers, panniculectomy, arm lifts, back lifts, and thigh lifts. All of these can be combined with breast implants to address patient-specific aesthetic goals and improve overall aesthetic and body contour.

Most women report that their breasts look saggy, deflated, and often asymmetrical. This is due to volume loss following surgery. Further, the skin around the removed implant may also appear stretched, wrinkled, and loose, especially when larger implants have been removed. Female patients also indicate skin laxity present in their native breast tissue following surgery, which has caused their areolas and nipples to point downward. If you’re concerned about volume loss following explant surgery or are interested in replacing or upgrading your breast implants, please contact our concierge medical team today, led by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rohit Jaiswal, MD, at (602) 726-4218 to learn more about your options.

No, patients undergoing breast explant surgery may not sleep on their side or stomach. It’s important to minimize unnecessary and excessive pressure on the incisions and sutures. Patients are encouraged to sleep on their backs, at a 30 to 45-degree angle, for 4 to 12 weeks to minimize swelling and bruising and allow for proper healing and recovery. At DrSkin Med Spa, Dr. Jaiswal will monitor your progress throughout your recovery and provide you with guidance to optimize your recovery and surgical success.

Key aesthetic indicators to consider when evaluating breast explant surgery include visible changes and dissatisfaction with your original or most recent breast augmentation procedure, which includes asymmetry, breast size, and shape. Lifestyle and social changes, and hormonal imbalances, also affect breast implant desirability.

Medical reasons to consider breast implant removal surgery include movement categorized as shifts or bottoming out, when your breast implants move too easily or drop below the breast fold. Patients experiencing persistent pain and discomfort, tightness, hardness, distortion, leakage, and other health concerns like headaches and cognitive issues, known as breast implant illness, should consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon immediately.

The most common reason for breast explant surgery is the hardening of scar tissue around the implants, known as Capsular Contracture. This condition will cause pain and discomfort and impact the symmetry, size, shape, and feel of your breast implants.

The recovery process for breast explant surgery is dependent on the surgical technique employed to remove your breast implants and the corrective action, or non-action, taken after your implants have been removed. In general, most women experience minor soreness, tenderness, and swelling over the first 1 to 2 weeks. Some female patients report slight pain and discomfort for up to 6 weeks. Patients are encouraged to limit upper body movements and should avoid heavy-weight training and high-intensity exercises over the first 4 to 8 weeks. Short walks and light activity are recommended, and compression garments are required during the initial stage of healing. Dr. Jaiswal and our team of physicians will monitor every step of your recovery and provide recommendations and best practices to expedite healing times and surgical success.

No, patients should not expect a noticeable reduction in body weight following breast implant removal surgery. Although you will realize a decrease in breast volume, which includes size, shape, and symmetry, which may present in a slimmer overall appearance, your new body proportions don’t represent actual, significant weight loss because the implants themselves are not considered a substantial amount of weight. Depending on the size of the implants being removed, most patients should expect a nominal reduction in weight that correlates to approximately 1 to 5 lbs.