Breast Implant Removal
Breast implant removal gently removes unwanted or compromised implants and capsule tissue, giving your body the freedom to return to a lighter, more natural state.
Breast implant removal gently removes unwanted or compromised implants and capsule tissue, giving your body the freedom to return to a lighter, more natural state.
Breast implant removal (also known as explant surgery or breast explant surgery) is chosen by women who wish to return to a lighter, more natural state of living. Whether motivated by aesthetic preferences, physical discomfort, breast implant illness (BII), or structural issues like capsular contracture and implant rupture, many women choose explant surgery to reclaim their physical harmony. At Align Plastic Surgery, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Tosan Ehanire performs breast implant removal in Austin with profound clinical empathy and surgical mastery.
Our Austin breast implant removal is a specialized reconstructive and aesthetic surgical procedure designed to remove silicone or saline implants from the body.
Over time, the body naturally forms a scar tissue capsule around any implanted device. While this surrounding scar tissue is usually soft, complications like severe capsular contracture can cause the capsule to harden, distorting the breast shape and causing chronic pain.
During your consultation, Dr. Ehanire evaluates your breast tissue, skin elasticity, chest muscle layer, and implant integrity to design a clear surgical plan. Depending on your goals and anatomy, patients choose explant surgery with various procedural pathways:
On the day of their breast implant removal Austin patients should know that it takes place in an accredited outpatient surgical facility under general anesthesia. Before surgery, Dr. Ehanire marks your surgical guides while you are comfortably standing, meticulously planning incision lines to minimize scar visibility.
Once general anesthesia is administered, Dr. Ehanire makes a precise incision to access the breast implant pocket. She carefully dissects through the layers, separating the hardened scar tissue or scar capsule from the underlying chest wall and overlying breast tissue. Both the implant and the surrounding capsule tissue are meticulously removed. If an animation deformity exists (where the chest muscle pulls unnaturally on the implant pocket), Dr. Ehanire repairs the muscle layer. If an explantation mastopexy or fat grafting is included, tissue is elevated and reshaped. Dr. Ehanire closes the site in multi-layer, tension-free sutures, and a supportive surgical bra is applied. The entire procedure lasts between 2 and 4 hours, and most patients rest in recovery before being driven home the same day.
Removing implants alone allows the natural breast tissue and skin envelope to readjust over time. However, if significant skin stretching or deflation has occurred, pairing breast implant removal with a breast lift (an explantation mastopexy) elevates the remaining native tissue, reshapes the bust line, and repositions the nipple-areola complex for a firm, proportioned contour. For women seeking a streamlined, non-reconstructive outcome, an aesthetic flat closure can also be achieved.
For patients who love having enhanced volume but are dealing with old implants, tears, or aging devices, an exchange procedure replaces textured implants or outdated silicone gel devices with smooth implants or modern silicone gel options. Dr. Ehanire carefully evaluates the chest wall and existing capsule, performing a partial removal or complete capsulectomy before precisely placing the new implants into a pristine pocket.
Depending on whether you have textured breast implants, implant leaks, or silicone material migration, removing both the implant and the surrounding capsule tissue is critical. In cases of severe capsular contracture, silicone gel rupture, or BIA-ALCL concerns, Dr. Ehanire performs a total capsulectomy or an en bloc resection—removing the implant and surrounding scar tissue capsule intact as a single, sealed unit to protect healthy tissues.
To soften the transition after removing implants and prevent hollowed contours along the upper pole, Dr. Ehanire can combine explant surgery with fat grafting. Natural body fat harvested via liposuction is purified and micro-injected into the native breast tissue to restore soft, subtle volume without artificial devices.
Breast explant surgery addresses a comprehensive spectrum of physical, structural, and systemic health concerns:
Relieves chronic tightness, distortion, and pain caused by hardened scar tissue surrounding the implant.
Safely removes collapsed saline implants or silent silicone gel tears, preventing silicone material spread into surrounding tissue.
Addresses systemic breast implant illness symptoms (such as joint and muscle pain, fatigue, brain fog, and connective tissue inflammation) reported by many women who choose explant surgery.
Corrects unnatural muscular twitching or skin puckering caused when subpectoral implants flex alongside the chest muscle.
Eliminates some concerns associated with textured implants, including rare lymphoma cells (BIA-ALCL) or squamous cell carcinoma found in chronic scar capsules.
Corrects oversized, sagging, or outdated implants to return to a lightweight, natural silhouette.
The breast implant removal procedure directly targets the breast tissue mound, the subpectoral or subglandular implant pocket, the capsule scar tissue layer, the chest wall muscle, and the surrounding skin envelope.
Removing implants offers profound physical, systemic, and psychological benefits, allowing your body to function without foreign material.
Excising heavy, ruptured, or hardened implants immediately relieves chest wall pressure, joint and muscle pain, and physical tightness, allowing for deep, unrestricted breathing.
Dr. Ehanire’s expert reconstructive technique ensures that, whether performing a total capsulectomy or an en bloc removal, healthy tissues and blood vessels are protected, reducing risks of skin hematoma or tissue trauma.
Incisions are kept as discreet as possible, often reusing original surgical sites. Supported by Dr. Ehanire's evidence-based scar protocols, incisions are actively managed to heal thin, flat, and discreetly.
Ideal candidates for our Austin breast implant removal are women with implants filled with saline or silicone who wish to remove their devices due to cosmetic changes, implant complications, or systemic health concerns.
Good Candidates Include:
Who May Not Be an Ideal Candidate:
Preparing for recovery after removing implants involves giving your tissue envelope time to settle and heal safely. Dr. Ehanire guides you step by step through post-op scar protocols to flatten incisions, prevent skin wound healing issues, and minimize scar visibility across all skin complexions.
The results of breast implant removal in Austin are immediate in terms of weight relief and physical comfort. Over the first 3 to 6 months following surgery, your remaining breast tissue and skin envelope gradually contract, smooth out, and adapt to your new, lighter baseline.
Because the implants and scar capsules are permanently excised, your explant results are long-lasting. By maintaining a stable weight and healthy lifestyle, your natural silhouette should remain comfortable, balanced, and beautifully aligned for decades to come.
Breast explant surgery demands an experienced plastic surgeon who deeply respects tissue mechanics, microvascular safety, and capsule physiology. At Align Plastic Surgery, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Tosan Ehanire approaches every explantation with surgical precision and empathy. She takes a holistic approach to each surgery, placing extra emphasis on ensuring your results match your lifestyle and purpose, as well as your aesthetic goals.
Your post-explant appearance depends on your native breast tissue volume, skin elasticity, and how long you had implants. While some deflation occurs initially, native tissue relaxes and contracts over several months. If you are concerned about drooping, pairing explant surgery with an explantation mastopexy (breast lift) or fat grafting restores an elevated, rounded contour.
A total capsulectomy involves removing 100% of the scar tissue capsule surrounding the implant, even if done in pieces. An en bloc capsulectomy removes both the implant and the intact capsule together as a single, unopened unit. Dr. Ehanire evaluates your tissue during your consultation to determine the safest approach for your specific capsule thickness and chest wall health.
Surgical risks include general anesthesia risks, bleeding, infection, skin hematoma, delayed wound healing, or seroma (fluid collection). Rarely, during deep capsule dissection off the ribs, complications like a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) can occur; however, Dr. Ehanire's meticulous microsurgical background keeps such surgical complications extremely rare.
Yes. If you desire a breast implant exchange, Dr. Ehanire can remove your old implants and capsule tissue and precisely place new smooth implants or modern silicone gel devices in a single surgical setting.
Most patients require 1 to 2 weeks off from work and daily responsibilities. Strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, and chest workouts should be avoided for 4 to 6 weeks to ensure complete internal tissue healing.
Breast Implant Illness is a term describing a constellation of systemic symptoms (such as brain fog, joint and muscle pain, fatigue, and hair loss) experienced by some patients with silicone or saline implants. While BII is not yet a formal medical diagnosis, many patients report significant improvement in their muscle pain and fatigue after undergoing complete implant and capsule removal.
