Breast Implant Removal (Revision Breast Implant Surgery) in Coral Springs and Lighthouse Point, Florida with Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. F. Leigh Phillips

According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, 355,000 woman had breast augmentation plastic surgery in 2008, and more than 50,000 had breast implant removal surgeries. This procedure, known as explantation, can be done to decrease the size or to make room for new implants.

Sometimes, breast implant removal is necessary to treat problems that occur with the implants, including: deflation or rupture; shifting; the formation of scar tissue that tightens around the implant (capsular contracture); which may cause the breast to feel tight or hard; necrosis, or the formation of dead tissue around the implant, which may prevent wound healing; calcium deposits; implant wrinkling; sagging; asymmetry; bleeding; infection; or diagnosis of breast cancer. The three most common reasons for breast implant removal are change of size and shape, implant leakage or rupture, and capsular contracture.

With board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Leigh Phillips in South Florida, breast implant removal is done under either twilight anesthesia or local anesthesia combined with IV sedation. Breast implant removal usually takes 30 minutes to an hour and normally takes place in his fully accredited in-office surgical suite. Operating through an incision in the inframammary fold (under the breast) or the peri-areolar incision (through the nipple), Dr. Phillips will carefully remove implants. If the implant is made of saline, Dr. Phillips may choose to deflate it first to facilitate removal.

Immediate recovery from breast implant removal surgery is usually rapid, with many patients returning to everyday activity within a few days and full activity within two to three weeks. Full recovery often takes a few months. For the first few days after breast implant removal, there may be mild discomfort, swelling and bruising. Some uncommon, but possible, complications include: loss of nipple sensation; scarring; bleeding; and loose skin.

Occasionally, women in the South Florida region who opt for removal of large breast implants, especially those that are inserted subglandularly (on top of the muscle and under the breast glands) are left with major cosmetic deformity in their breasts if they opt to not replace the breast implants or have further cosmetic surgery. Tissue atrophy and chest wall deformity often result from breast implant removal. Breasts may also be smaller than they were before the implants because of hormone changes or weight loss. Sagging may also become more apparent after breast implant removal.

At his fully accredited in-office surgical suites in Coral Springs and Lighthouse Point, Dr. Phillips has extensive experience with revisional breast surgery. Beginning with your  personal consultation with board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Leigh Phillips, each patient will be evaluated on an individual basis.