ClickCease Expert Breast Implant Removal Surgery In Scottsdale AZ And Phoenix
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Expert Breast Implant Removal Surgery in Scottsdale AZ and Phoenix

Expert Breast Implant Removal Surgery in Scottsdale AZ and Phoenix

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Patients who decide to have breast augmentation surgery rarely expect they will be removing their breast implants down the road.  However, approximately 40,000 women choose to do just that every year.

The reasons for these removals vary and include:  unacceptable aesthetic result, capsular contracture,  implant shifting, rupture, deflation, rippling, or asymmetry.

Whatever the reason, double board-certified plastic surgeon, Jonathan C. Weinrach, MD FACS offers breast implant removal to resolve these issues and improve breast and overall body contour.

If you are considering the removal of your breast implants and would like to know more about the procedure, call (480) 634-6014 with your questions or contact us today for a consultation

Preparing for Breast Implant Removal Surgery

During your consultation, Dr. Weinrach will carefully listen to your concerns, review your medical and surgical history, examine you, and then formulate the best possible plan to achieve your goals.

What Should You Expect with a Breast Implant Removal?

A straightforward breast implant removal surgery lasts approximately one hour using general anesthesia.  Dr. Weinrach can almost always use the same incisions as the initial breast augmentation procedure to remove the implants.  Other procedures may be done as well after breast implant removal.

Capsular contracture, if present, can be removed with a capsulectomy.  The extent of surgery, operating room time, and cost of capsulectomy largely depends on the size of the implant.   Larger implants have bigger capsules, which take longer and  are more difficult to remove than capsules surrounding smaller implants.  A consultation is needed to be able to estimate the operating room time needed for capsulectomy, which will influence cost.  Simple breast implant removals in women with soft breasts and normal capsules do not need capsulectomies.

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Dr. Weinrach

Dr. Weinrach is dedicated to helping patients achieve their aesthetic goals through an individualized approach to patient care and commitment to safety. His extensive experience and unique skill set produces long-lasting, natural looking results.

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Breast Implant Removal Recovery

Recovery varies based on the extent of the procedure done to treat the problem.  A straighforward breast implant replacement, is a relatively short and easy procedure with minimal downtime; the addition of procedures such as capsulectomy or breast lift  may add a bit more to the recovery, although rarely is more than a few days off of work ever needed.   Dr. Weinrach will provide you with all activity and medication recommendations needed to make your recovery proceed as smoothly as possible.

Want to learn more?

Make your aesthetic goals a reality. Jonathan C. Weinrach, MD FACS and his team look forward to exceeding your expectations. Schedule a personalized consult with Dr. Weinrach by clicking below.

Get Started

Want to learn more?

Make your aesthetic goals a reality. Jonathan C. Weinrach, MD FACS and his team look forward to exceeding your expectations. Schedule a personalized consult with Dr. Weinrach by clicking below.

Get Started

Breast Implant Removal Benefits

Visible improvement is immediate and results continue to evolve over time.   A supportive bra is worn during healing and after to maintain the best possible breast contour.

With the passage of time, preferences change.  Implants chosen years if not decades in the past may not be suitable with current body image.  Breast implant removal or replacement may be the perfect solution to create a breast appearance more in tune with current lifestyles.

Most women are incredibly relieved to replace rippled, firm, and overly large or small implants with smooth, soft, natural-feeling implants of more appropriate size. For those women who have decided they no longer wish to have breast implants, breast implant removal is the perfect solution.

Next Steps

If you are interested in breast implant removal, please call (480) 634-6014 with your questions or schedule a consultation today.  We look forward to helping you.

Please note:  If your original breast implants were placed for breast reconstruction purposes (e.g. after mastectomy, breast cancer, breast tumor removal), then you will have to see a breast reconstruction specialist.  Dr. Weinrach is very talented at cosmetic breast surgery, but does not do breast reconstruction.  We can not bill any insurance company including Medicare for any breast surgery.

breast implant removal faqs

Breast Implant Removal (Saline or Nonruptured Gel): $6,100
Breast Implant Removal with Capsulectomy: $10,300

*Above prices include facility, anesthesia, and surgeon fees. Prices are estimates based on average cases. Any individual case could cost more or less; a consultation is needed to best determine cost.

If you did not have low nipples or sagging lower breast pole tissue before breast implant removal, in general it is likely you would not need a breast lift after breast implant removal. However, if you had sagging of the lower pole breast tissue before breast augmentation, or developed it with time for example due to pregnancy, weight gain/loss, or a large implant, then a mastopexy (tightening of the breast tissues) and or a lift of the nipple could be needed. You will have less volume in your breast after implant removal, but a breast lift will not correct this. A breast lift is not a replacement for a breast implant as they treat different issues.

Normal, thin capsules do not need to be removed.  A capsule that is normal and very thin can be very difficult and even impossible to remove completely.  Attempting to remove a very thin capsule that is attached to the surrounding tissue can cause injury to those tissues.  It is much better to leave in place a thin, soft, normal capsule that is not causing any problems.   The surgery and the recovery are much shorter, with much less discomfort, risk and expense compared to removing the capsule.   There is no risk to ones health by leaving in a normal, soft, thin capsule.  Capsules that are causing problems such as thickening from capsular contracture can be removed.  It is actually much easier to remove an abnormal, thickened capsule than a normal one.

Recovery time varies somewhat depending on the person as well as the extent of the procedure performed.  Recovery time can be very minimal after a straightforward breast implant removal with a return to normal activity in a day.  Capsulectomy can increase recovery time depending if it is done on one side or both, and if a new pocket location is created for placement of a new implant, recovery time can also lengthen.   For cases of bilateral implant removal and replacement with bilateral capsulectomy and creation of a new submuscular pocket for placement of new breast implants, it is recommended to keep activity light for 3 weeks and no weight bearing exercise for 6 weeks.

It is not possible to show you or predict exactly what your breast will look like after implant removal.  Removing the breast implant will obviously decrease the volume of your breast by the exact amount of volume in the implant.  The question is how will the skin respond.  This is unpredictable and differs based on genetics and the quality of the existing skin.  Younger patients with good genetics and thick elastic skin without stretch marks may have skin that simply reverts back to the pre-breast augmentation state.  Older patients with unfavorable genetics and thin, stretched out inelastic skin with stretch marks may have a very deflated appearance with folds of excess skin. 

Usually drains are not used after breast implant removal.  Drains may be used if a capsulectomy is also done.

It is uncommon for any kind of muscle repair to be necessary during a breast implant removal.

In the situation of a capsulectomy for a routine capsular contracture when there is no suspicion of a malignancy (cancer), the decision is usually left to the patient whether or not to send the capsule for pathologic examination.  Although it is ideal to have any tissue removed examined by a pathologist, this does involve added expense and some patients would rather not incur this expense. 

If there is any suspicion or concern for a malignancy (cancer) then the capsule is sent for examination by a pathologist.

Dr. Weinrach has either authored or reviewed and approved this content.

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