Breast Implant Removal Chicago

While breast augmentation is typically a rewarding and life-changing experience, you may wish to have your implants removed years or decades after your original surgery. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Dreyfuss performs breast explant surgery in Chicago to help women enjoy a new start and remove implants that have finished serving their purpose.

Breast implant removal surgery addresses many of the issues caused by surgically enhanced breasts. It may also include a capsulectomy, which removes the tissue capsule surrounding the implant after placement.

Why Do Women Have Their Breast Implants Removed?

Though everyone who chooses plastic surgery has intensely personal reasons, women who decide to have their implants removed and not replaced may share a few commonalities. 

  • Capsular contracture: This condition happens when excessive scar tissue develops around the implants, causing chest discomfort and tightness. Dr. Dreyfuss can remove the breast implants along with their capsule. 
  • Health concerns: After breast augmentation, some women may complain of a condition known as breast implant illness. Though there is no conclusive research to link breast implants to health-related issues, patients who report symptoms often opt to remove their implants in the hope of feeling better. 
  • Age: As you get older, your lifestyle and priorities will change. If your implants no longer fulfill your cosmetic goals, you may wish to get them removed.

Why Choose Dr. Dreyfuss for Breast Implant Removal?

As an experienced, board-certified Chicago breast implant removal surgeon with over 20 years of experience, Dr. Dreyfuss offers exceptional skill and expertise to earn his patients’ trust. Beyond natural-looking results, expect a warm and stress-free experience that centers on your safety and the aesthetic vision you have for your body.  

Explant surgery carries similar risks as other surgical procedures, including bleeding and infection. Still, you can keep these issues minimal by choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon. If you worry about long-term health problems, rest assured removing your implants is safe.

What Will Your Breast Implant Removal Procedure Entail?

Dr. Dreyfuss typically performs breast explant surgery as an outpatient procedure with general anesthesia. He begins by making incisions along the same lines as your initial breast surgery. Next, he removes the implants and checks for capsular contracture, where scar tissue may have accumulated and hardened.

What Do Breasts Look Like After Explant Surgery?

Your breasts will not return to the exact contour they had before you sought augmentation surgery. Why? Because implant weight and size will have stretched your skin and weakened support tissues. After removing your implants, your breasts may look deflated, with downward-pointing nipples. After their original implants are gone, some women choose to exchange them for new ones, and others address concerns like drooping or asymmetrical breasts with a breast lift

To ensure you have realistic expectations for your surgery, you can ask Dr. Dreyfuss to provide breast implant removal before-and-after photos of patients who came in with similar concerns.

Will I Need a Lift After My Implants Are Gone?

Dr. Dreyfuss almost always recommends combining a breast lift with your explant surgery. With this surgery, he can remove sagging skin, reposition the remaining breast tissue, and likely relocate the nipple-areola complex. The goal of a breast lift is to return the breasts to a higher position on the chest, which will be essential for you to be satisfied with the appearance of your breasts after removing your implants.

Breast Implant Removal Recovery

Recovery is typically brief after implant removal. You’ll be sore along the incision sites for a few days, but you won’t have a lengthy healing time. Your chest may feel a bit different without the implants, but there’s minimal to no discomfort.

However, most women having their implants removed require a breast lift, so the decision doesn’t adversely affect their breasts’ appearance. Because Dr. Dreyfuss repositions tissue and removes excess, adding a breast lift can make your recovery a tad more involved. 

You shouldn’t lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for a month. Weightlifting or other strenuous exercise must wait six weeks after a breast lift.

Schedule Your Consultation Today

If you’re ready to learn more about explant surgery and how it might benefit you, book a virtual consultation with Dr. Dreyfuss or call our office at (815) 806-9400.

Explant Surgery FAQs

As previously mentioned, unless you choose to get a lift, your breasts will likely appear flattened and saggy without implants. That’s especially true if you chose larger implants and left them positioned in your body for a long period.

The total cost of your implant removal surgery will vary based on factors such as whether you opt to combine it with a lift or replace your old implants with brand-new ones. Dr. Dreyfuss can provide an accurate estimate after meeting you and learning about the improvements you want to make.

There have been no studies or medical literature associating a specific illness with breast implants. However, complaints from some women with implants include:

  • Memory issues
  • Lack of energy 
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Headaches
  • Gastrointestinal illness
  • Swollen lymph nodes 
  • Recurrent infections
  • Hair loss
  • Skin rashes
  • Pains in joints and muscles

We find most of our patients who have their implants removed due to breast implant illness feel better after the procedure.

In July 2019, the FDA announced a recall of textured Biocell implants made by Allergan. There is some connection between these devices and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma – a rare form of cancer. 

Lymphoma cases due to implants are extremely low. Of the 40 million women with implants, only 300 to 500 have received a diagnosis of BIA-ALCL. Still, the news has brought implant removal to the forefront of public awareness. This potential health issue does not apply to implants other than the Biocell textured ones subject to the recall.

Health insurance policies typically don’t cover breast implant removal. The primary exception is when women have this procedure done post-mastectomy and reconstruction, and only if a doctor deems the surgery medically necessary.