What Happens When Breast Implants Are Removed and Not Replaced?

Posted August 30, 2024 in Breast Implants

Patients choose to have their breast implants removed for a variety of reasons, but not everyone wants to replace those implants with new ones. Many people wonder what the breasts look and feel like after removing implants, or worry about the aesthetic results of a breast explant surgery. This blog will discuss what happens when breast implants are removed and what you can do to improve the breast aesthetic without having new implants placed.

6 Min Read:

What Is Breast Implant Removal Surgery?

Sometimes, women wishing for a fresh start, want to return to the svelte figure they once rocked. Also known as breast explant surgery, breast implant removal surgery is a procedure designed to remove breast implants from the body. Some patients opt to have their implants replaced with brand-new ones, possibly of a different size, while others choose to have a breast lift instead of having new implants placed. Many patients decide to undergo breast implant removal surgery as a standalone procedure.

What Do Breasts Look Like After Implant Removal?

Breast implant removal surgery is an opportunity for many women to feel more comfortable in their skin. Many schedule this surgery to get relief from breast implant illness (BII) or to address complications, update their aesthetic preference, or undergo a lifestyle change.

That said, since the majority of patients underwent primary breast augmentation surgery to achieve a fuller bust line and feel more confident, it is only natural to wonder what the breasts will look like after the implants are removed.

The short answer is that your breasts will not look the way they did before surgery. Breast implants stretch the skin, and the bigger the implant, the more stretch it causes. Furthermore, natural aging and childbirth will exert their toll on the supporting tissues of the breast. Typically, when implants are removed, the breasts look flattened and deflated due to loose skin and the sudden loss of volume. Factors affecting the appearance of the breasts after implant removal will be discussed below.

Do Breasts Fluff Out After Implant Removal?

Although the breasts look deflated immediately after breast implant removal, they often undergo a process called “fluffing” over time. Fluffing is when the breasts fill out, soften, and regain a more natural appearance during recovery and healing stages. This process typically takes place over the 12 months following breast implant removal surgery.

Many patients find that the breasts do regain some natural volume, and reshape themselves to look slightly fuller and perkier than they did right after surgery. This is similar to how a woman’s abdomen gradually heals and returns to a natural state after pregnancy. The fluffing process depends on multiple factors, including:

• Skin Elasticity: Patients who are younger or who have good skin elasticity are more likely to experience skin retraction.
• Natural Breast Size: The amount of breast tissue you started with will affect the fluffing process and how much volume you end up with.
• Weight: Weight loss or weight gain can affect the size of the breasts and the degree of volume after breast implant removal.
• Scar Tissue: If you experienced capsular contracture, a breast implant complication that involves hardening of the scar tissue in the breast, this tissue will likely need to be removed. Removal of this extra tissue will result in further loss of volume.

Everyone is different, and the timeline for breast fluffing will vary from patient to patient, depending on overall health, skin elasticity, and individual anatomy.

How Can I Prevent Flat Breasts After Implant Removal?

It is recommended that you wait a full year after breast implant removal surgery to allow for complete healing and so the final results have time to develop. If you wait and are still dissatisfied with the appearance of your breasts–don’t worry! You have options to achieve your desired aesthetic without implants.

Breast Lift

Many patients who choose to have their breast implants removed opt to have a breast lift simultaneously. Breast lift surgery is designed to remove excess skin and to correct sagging of the breasts by elevating and repositioning them. The nipple-areolar complex is also raised and can be reshaped. Breast lift benefits include:

• Sagging Breast Correction: Sagging and deflated breasts after breast implant removal is an unwelcome possibility. A breast lift is designed to correct breast sagging.
• Areola and Breast Projection: Downward-facing breasts and inverted nipples can be corrected to a perky, upright position with a breast lift. The appearance of the areola can also be reshaped, resized and repositioned to a more youthful ideal.
• Improved Shape: The overall shape of the breast is enhanced with a breast lift, resulting in firmer, more symmetrical breasts.

Patients who undergo breast lift surgery after breast explantation report higher levels of satisfaction with the way their breasts look after removing their implants. However, some patients prefer to wait a year to see if their breasts recover their shape before deciding on a breast lift.

Reaugmentation

Sometimes patients undergo implant removal for problems such as rupture or capsular contracture. In such cases, the patient has the choice of proceeding without implants or having them replaced with new ones, possibly of a different size or type. If the patient has had children in the interval, her breasts may have enlarged and the requirement may be for smaller implants or none at all. When the volume is satisfactory, sagging is the main feature and the patient can elect for a breast lift without re-augmentation. Larger implants are always a possibility, but their weight tends to contribute to sagginess over time.

Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation

For those who desire a slight volume increase, fat transfer, or fat grafting, is an excellent option. With fat transfer to the breasts, fat is harvested from other areas of the body, such as the waist, flanks, or back. It is then purified in a centrifuge and, finally, injected into the breasts. There are several benefits involved with this procedure:

• Double Benefits: With fat transfer, not only do you gain an increased breast size, but you also get the opportunity to remove unwanted fat from other areas of the body. Fat can be harvested from almost anywhere on the body, including the midsection, knees, bra line, and more.
• Natural Breast Augmentation: Fat transfer uses your own natural tissues, so there is no foreign device placed in the body.
• Subtle Volume Increase: Fat grafting to the breasts increases the size of the breasts. This added volume can address some of the skin stretching that takes place with large implants, weight loss, or pregnancy.

It’s important to understand that fat transfer only increases the size of the breasts and does not significantly affect their shape. Additionally, the body naturally absorbs some of the transferred fat, resulting in a decrease in volume from the initial amount injected.

Breast Implant Removal in Palos Verdes, CA

If you are interested in breast implant removal, seeing a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Boyd is important to achieve the best results. To schedule a consultation, call (310) 597-4734 today. We look forward to guiding you through this process.