Women may want to have their implants removed for a multitude of reasons.
Women, as they age and their bodies change, may feel their breast are too big or have become to heavy. Patients may have gained weight during the lifetime of their implant and now feel their breasts are a burden and unsightly.
One or both implants may be too hard due to capsular contracture, perhaps from a biofilm causing contracture of the normal capsule around the implant. Hardening of one implant may accentuate the unevenness of the breast.
Implants and especially heavy implants can certainly fall to a position that is low and undesirable.
Capsular contracture with hardening of the implants can raise the implants high on the chest wall in an unnatural position with the breast tissue falling off the implant like a waterfall.
There is a rare risk of lymphoma with textured implants. All patients with any kind of textured implant, silicone or saline need to have regular follow up with your plastic surgeon making sure there’s no symptoms of seroma or fluid buildup around the implant, a mass or swollen lymph nodes. Patients who have more aggressive texturing with Allergan‘s natrelle biocell silicone or saline implants , 410 implants and style 153 implants, have an increased risk of anaplastic large cell lymphoma and may elect to have implants removed or replaced prior to 10 years. For more information on breast implant related anaplastic large cell lymphoma BIA-ALCL, please see our blog or follow this link.
Patients may elect to have the implants simply removed, they may desire lifting of the breast at the time of removal. If patients desire replacement of the implants please see information on breast implant revision.
Breast implants are one of the most rigorously studied medical implantable devices. Currently there is very little scientific documentation to suggest breast implants lead to any type of vague illness, like lethargy, joint pain, constipation burning eyes, the list goes on and on …..2/3 of women having implants removed for vague symptoms report no lasting improvement in symptomatology. 1/3 of women who were fearful they had a breast implant illness and had their implants removed eventually have their implants replaced.
