Before and after bilateral explantation and immediate mastopexy in a 58-year-old woman. Her submuscular implants had been in place for over twenty years. She had an animation deformity (shown in her before image) that thankfully did not cause any pain.
After menopause, she gained weight and felt that her breasts were now too big for her frame. She wanted to minimize surgery as she was caring for elderly patients and was working full-time.
Breast implant removal can often be done in the office under local anesthesia, as long as the implants are not ruptured and are easily accessible through an old scar. In her case, the incision to insert her implants was under her breasts – this is the preferred incision for explantation as well.
Her nipples were low on the breast – this is called “ptosis” (silent P), or droop. Her goal was for her breasts to still look natural but a little lifted. A skin-only mastopexy was planned at the same time as explantation to lift her nipples and tuck the bottom part of her breast. She was given an oral anti-anxiety medication to take before surgery and inhaled laughing gas to take the edge off.
Her breast implants were removed and a mastopexy lifted her nipples and reshaped her breasts, all under local anesthesia. She showered in two days, resumed exercise in three weeks, and did not require drains. Follow up photos are shown 2 years after surgery with mature scars and her final results.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
