Breast Implant Removal/Capsulectomy in Nashville, TN, with Dr. Cash
Breast implant removal is surgery to remove breast implants, whether for reasons of personal preference or medical need. Capsulectomy combines implant removal with the removal of the scar tissue (a capsule), which naturally, and usually harmlessly, forms around implants. When this scar tissue thickens and hardens (capsular contracture), it can cause discomfort and distort the breast’s shape. If the goal of implant removal surgery is to address a ruptured silicone breast implant, it will include removal of any leaked material and the tissue into which it has spread.
Breast implant removal surgery can also replace the original implants with new ones of a different size, shape, or type, a procedure known as implant revision. Dr. Cash can also perform a breast lift to improve and restore the shape and appearance of the breasts, repositioning them to sit higher on your chest.
As lifestyles, trends, and fashions change, some women decide to remove their breast implants and embrace the benefits of smaller breasts. Women’s aesthetic goals and body image can change throughout their lives. For many patients, breast implant removal can be liberating and restorative. With smaller, natural breasts, activities like exercising become less cumbersome. You’ll also enjoy an expanded range of clothing options and renewed self-confidence.
To learn more about breast implant removal or capsulectomy, contact Nashville Plastic Surgery today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Michael Cash. Dr. Cash has attained double certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. He has the training and expertise to perform complex reconstructive surgery and customized cosmetic procedures with remarkably natural-looking results.
Why Might I Consider Breast Implant Removal in Nashville, TN?
The decision to remove breast implants is as unique as the reasons to choose implants in the first place, and no one should determine that except you.
You might choose to have breast implants removed for personal reasons, such as:
- A desire to have a slimmer or more balanced figure
- Larger breasts can be uncomfortable, especially when exercising or leading an active lifestyle
- Your beauty standards have changed
- Preferences for aesthetic styles that look better on figures with smaller breasts or provide minimal breast support
- To reduce back, shoulder, or neck pain associated with larger breasts
- To relieve emotional or mental distress caused by larger breasts
- To improve your breast appearance by removing sagging skin and excess fat with breast lift surgery
- For health and safety reasons, especially to avoid future breast implant revision surgery
- Desire to change implant type (from saline to silicone, for example)
You might also consider implant removal if there is a problem with the original implants, such as:
- A shift in the position of one or both implants
- Pain from the implants or your body’s reaction to them, as can happen when scar tissue thickens and hardens into capsular contracture
- Implant leak or rupture
- Improper healing after implant placement, with evidence of infection or bleeding
- Difficulties in obtaining accurate cancer screenings using mammography, especially if you are at higher risk of breast cancer because of family history
- Evidence of BIA-ALCL, a form of lymphoma that can develop, in rare cases, around certain textured implants
Why Choose Dr. Cash for Breast Implant Removal or Capsulectomy?
If you are having recently placed implants removed because of a problem, it’s best to work with your original surgeon to correct it. If that is not an option for you or you would prefer to work with a different plastic surgeon, your choice of medical provider is the paramount decision you’ll make in the process. Ample experience with this procedure is crucial. Only work with a surgeon who is board-certified through the American Board of Plastic Surgery, which is the only valid board certification for a plastic surgeon. Dr. Cash has earned certification from the ABPS and the American Board of Surgery.
Choose a surgeon who listens and whose results demonstrate a flexible and customized approach. A skilled surgeon will tailor the details of each cosmetic procedure to your unique needs and desires. As one of the best cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgeons in Nashville, Dr. Cash will spend time with you to understand the problem you want to correct and the results you hope to achieve. He’ll explain what you should realistically expect, plus the risks and costs. He equips his patients with the knowledge they need to confidently make decisions, always treating everyone with respect and attention.
Am I a Good Candidate for Breast Implant Removal Surgery?
Over time, breast implants and skin changes can affect the appearance or feel of your breasts. As a uniquely customized procedure, breast implant removal surgery can exchange older implants for new ones made with updated materials, styles, shapes, and sizes to help restore your breasts. The procedure can also address pain from capsular contraction or concerns of implant rupture.
Dr. Cash can tell you if you are a good candidate for breast implant removal during your consultation. You may be a good candidate for the procedure if you:
- Are in generally good health
- Are not significantly overweight
- Do not have masses in your breasts, as detected in a breast exam
- Do not smoke, or are willing to quit for several weeks before and after the procedure
- Are looking to exchange implants to change size, shape, or style
- Have experienced pain or discomfort due to capsular contracture
- Suspect a leaking or ruptured implant following imaging
- No longer want implants for personal reasons
The FDA recommends women be 18 or older for saline implants and 22 or older for silicone implants.
Note that breast implant removal surgery does not correct significant breast sagging. A breast lift is the solution for sagging breasts; however, you can choose to combine the two procedures as needed.
At Nashville Plastic Surgery, our mission is to treat you with the utmost respect, help you make an educated decision, and provide you with the finest medical services in a safe and professional environment.
Dr. Cash, our board-certified plastic surgeon, specializes in breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction, and more. Schedule a consultation today to learn more!
How Is Breast Implant Removal Performed?
Depending on the reasons for the removal and the cosmetic results you hope to achieve, Dr. Cash will take one of four approaches to the surgery.
Simple Breast Implant Removal
Dr. Cash will make incisions along the lines from the original surgery, removing the implants without affecting any surrounding tissue. This approach is ideal when the tissue around the implants is normal and healthy and silicone implants have not leaked or ruptured. Dr. Cash may recommend simple removal when a saline implant has ruptured, creating breast asymmetry, and you choose to have both implants removed. Leaked saline does not affect surrounding tissue.
Simple Breast Implant Replacement
When you wish to have new implants of a different size, shape, or type, and when the tissue around the original implants is healthy and there has been no leakage of silicone gel, the surgery to remove the original implants adds a step to place new implants into the same pockets.
En Bloc Breast Implant Removal with Capsulectomy
Dr. Cash makes incisions as with simple implant removal, but also removes the surrounding scar tissue capsule along with the implants. Dr. Cash uses this approach, called en bloc breast implant removal, to correct capsular contracture or when silicone has leaked from an implant into the surrounding tissue.
Breast Implant Removal and Lift
Implant removal can leave the breasts in a flattened or hollowed shape and can make breast sagging more noticeable. In this combined procedure, Dr. Cash removes the implants, then reshapes and elevates the breast tissue into a naturally attractive shape and position. He may also reposition the nipples and areolas higher on your breasts and make your areolas smaller.
What Does Breast Implant Removal Surgery Involve?
You will be under general anesthesia during your breast implant removal surgery. Dr. Cash will make incisions along the lines of the original incisions to minimize additional scarring. He will then remove the implant along with any damaged or inflamed capsular tissue. He may also reposition breast tissue to improve breast shape. You may have temporary drains placed to manage swelling in recovery.
During a combination implant removal and breast lift, Dr. Cash will remove a strip of excess skin and raise and reshape your breasts to correct sagging. Dr. Cash will place his incisions thoughtfully to diminish the appearance of breast implant removal scars.
Breast implant removal surgery usually takes two to three hours. When the anesthesia has worn off and you are fully alert, you can go home. You’ll need a friend or family member to drive you and stay with you for the first night.
What to Expect in Recovery
You’ll need some time for rest and recovery at home after your surgery and should plan to take about a week off from work. You may experience some discomfort in the first few days, which you can manage with pain medication. You may also have some swelling and bruising in your breasts, which will gradually resolve as your tissue heals.
Dr. Cash will provide you with detailed instructions on how to take care of yourself as you recover, when to see him for follow-up appointments, and how to reach him with any concerns. You can resume low-impact activities and exercise after about two weeks, gradually building up to your typical activity level by about six weeks after surgery.
What Will My Breasts Look Like After Breast Implant Removal?
After the initial swelling from the surgery resolves, your breasts will gradually return to the size they were before augmentation, with some changes due to weight gain or loss or the effects of pregnancy. It can take a year for your breasts to return to a rounded shape. For the first few weeks, they will appear to be deflated or flat, and may have sunken or hollowed areas where the implants were. Gradually, the tissue within the breasts will adjust to fill in the empty space.
If your skin has stretched with age or because of the implants, your breasts may sag more than they did before you had your augmentation surgery. The skin on your breasts may also be wrinkled. If you’re unhappy with the appearance of your breasts after implant removal, a breast lift can correct this sagging and wrinkling and create a more rounded form. Fat grafting can also replace some of the lost volume and improve breast shape.
Planning Your Breast Implant Removal
Your breast implant removal procedure at Nashville Plastic Surgery starts with a consultation with Dr. Cash. He will conduct a thorough examination and ask questions to learn your medical history and understand your reasons for wanting your implants removed. He will seek to understand your hopes for the procedure, listen to your concerns, and answer your questions.
When Dr. Cash appreciates your goals and expectations, he will recommend an approach for the surgery to correct any problems and obtain the best results. He will describe what the procedure entails, its risks and costs, and what you can expect in recovery as you heal from the surgery.
Dr. Cash’s goal in every surgical procedure is to produce the most natural-looking results with the least discomfort and lowest level of risk for the patient. With breast implant removal, he often has the added objective of correcting a health problem caused by the original implants.
Schedule Your Nashville Breast Implant Removal Consultation Today
Contact Nashville Plastic Surgery online or by calling (615) 454-2271 to schedule a consultation for breast implant removal with Dr. Cash. He will examine you, ask questions to understand your goals for the procedure, and give his recommendations for the best and safest approach. Patients in Metro Nashville and throughout Middle Tennessee choose Dr. Cash as their cosmetic surgeon because of his ability to create stunning results and for the caring attention he and his staff provide.
Nashville Breast Implant Removal FAQs
The decision to undergo breast implant removal surgery is deeply personal. A breast implant removal procedure can help restore your breasts to their natural shape, size, and appearance. This can be beneficial for patients who are no longer satisfied with the appearance of their implants, whether it be the size, shape, or feel of their initial procedure. Removal is also recommended for patients experiencing complications with the implants, such as rippling, asymmetry, or capsular contracture.
Breast plant removal is considered elective cosmetic surgery and generally not covered by insurance. It is best to discuss your options with your insurance provider. Dr. Cash offers payment and financing options for your convenience.
Capsular contracture is when the capsule around the implant starts to get thicker and thicker, eventually squeezing the implant and causing the breasts to harden, become misshapen, or making the implants change position. No one’s quite sure why capsular contracture occurs, but the capsules may contain substances like silicone gel, silicone gel fragments, bacteria, calcified tissue, and inflammatory cells—all substances that cause further complications. This is why en bloc breast implant removal is so necessary—by removing the capsule and implant as a unit, the contaminants will be self-contained and less likely to be left behind.
Yes, this is commonly recommended. A patient having implants removed may have extra loose skin that can be reduced, to improve the aesthetic appearance of the breast at the time of device removal. Many patients may also have sagging breasts due to pregnancy/breastfeeding, weight changes, aging and other factors. In some cases, breast lifting can help mask any contour irregularities (indentations, bulges, creases, etc.) that can occur with capsule removal, while also enhancing the “perkiness” of the remaining breast tissue.
In general, candidates for a breast implant removal procedure are those who are unsatisfied with the results of their initial breast augmentation or are experiencing rare conditions associated with their implants. Dr. Cash suggests that breast implant removal candidates in Nashville, TN be:
- Non-smokers
- In good overall health
- At a stable weight
- Understand the details of the procedure
- Have a positive outlook and realistic expectations regarding their results
- Be prepared to closely follow all pre- and post-operative care instructions
If you have breast implants and have noticed an increase in unexplained symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, breast pain or burning, enlarged axillary lymph nodes, brain fog or other symptoms that doctors have not been able to get to the root cause of; it may be time to schedule a visit with an explant surgeon.
If your current breast implants are leaking or have ruptured, it’s imperative you have them removed and replaced for your overall health. Complications with breast plant removal are not common but may include infection, numbness at the incision site, asymmetry, and persistent pain.
Most women won’t know their breast implant is leaking. If you have saline implants, the saline is absorbed in your body and inherently won’t cause issues. You may notice your breasts look a little deflated. If you have silicone implants, it will be harder to tell if a rupture has occurred, but if you notice hardness in your breast area, you will want to see your doctor to determine the best course of action.
While neither implant types have been directly correlated to increased risk of cancer, recent years have also seen the rise of secondary health issues related to breast implants. For patients experiencing breast implant illness, symptoms like headaches, chronic fatigue, fever, and joint pain can be especially debilitating and provide enough reason for women to seek explant. Furthermore, the FDA has identified over 450 cases of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma – a rare form of cancer that can develop in the scar tissue around the implant. In the face of these very real medical concerns, many patients have chosen to implant removal as a means of protecting their overall health.
As the swelling dissipates, it’s normal to see some shrinkage in volume. Obviously, your implants are gone, but changes of the breast due to aging and stretching from the implants will lead to further change in shape and sagging. When removing an implant and the capsule, you might experience a longer recovery time than a regular breast augmentation: about a week longer than the typical 2 weeks of abstaining from any strenuous activity. After that, you can return to light fitness activity, and it’s advised that you take about a week from social activities and refrain from driving from at least 10 days or as long as you’re taking any prescription medication. You will be asked to wear a surgical bra for a few weeks.
The most successful treatment in Nashville, TN currently, is breast implant removal (explant surgery). Given the increasing number of cases and recent FDA announcement regarding breast implant related cancers such as lymphomas (ALCL) and a new squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), Dr. Cash approaches each breast implant removal case very carefully. During explant surgery Dr. Cash removes the entire capsule (Total Capsulectomy) in one piece without rips or tears (En Bloc). Depending on the initial incision and breast implant size implants can be removed through a previous areola incision under the fold or through a breast lift incision.
Breast Implant Illness can be difficult to manage for many women and their families as they struggle with extreme fatigue and other symptoms, some of which may even be debilitating. Many women have visited countless doctors and specialists and still do not have definite answers or an improvement of symptoms. Following a low inflammatory diet and limiting exposure to other environmental toxins is a great place to start in reducing other sources of inflammation within your body.