Before and after bilateral breast implant removal in a 34-year-old woman. Her implants had been in place for several years, and had developed an oblong, long shape. She no longer wanted them and desired to “go back to normal,” with a natural breast shape.
Explantation was performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient in-office procedure. Her existing scar in the fold of her breast was used to access the implant space. During the procedure, the internal pocket was inspected – since there was no active inflammation or any other abnormalities, the scar tissue was left alone.
Capsulectomy is only required if there is a significant amount of scar tissue or active infection, where leaving the scar tissue in place would create deformity or place the patient at risk of ongoing infection. After breast implants are removed, this internal capsular scar tissue tends to fade away and become soft and imperceptible.
Follow up photos are shown 2 months after surgery. She is very pleased with her outcome. She does have some degree of breast droop due to past weight loss (not the explantation procedure) and is considering a future breast lift, but she wants to wait until she has children and finishes breastfeeding.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
