Before and after bilateral breast implant removal in a 33 year old woman. She previously had a breast augmentation and peri-areolar (Benelli, donut) mastopexy – a procedure that sounds great, but often causes stretching of the areolar scars that make the areola even bigger than before surgery. Her scars were symptomatic and hypertrophic (itchy, painful) and had failed years of scar gel and scar massage.
She wasn’t having any specific complications with her implants like capsular contracture or asymmetry – she just wanted to have them removed. An in-office explantation procedure was planned together with breast scar revisions under local anesthesia to make her areolar diameter smaller. As she was not having a problem with the capsules around the implants, there was no indication for a capsulectomy, which would have required general anesthesia, significantly more downtime and drains for 1-2 weeks.
Follow up photos are shown two months after surgery. Her scars are dark red, as expected for immature collagen which has just been deposited as immature scar tissue. As the areolar nerves wake up, they will constrict normally. For now, her areolas are smooth and asleep. She has just started scar therapy; her scars will naturally mature and fade over the next year. She is very pleased with her decision to have an explantation.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
