Two common reasons why women decide to have explant surgery

18 August 2020
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A significant number of women who have breast implants end up deciding to have explant surgery (i.e., surgery to remove their implants). Below are two common motivations that drive women to have this operation.

They dislike the size, position or shape of their implants

Whilst women often get implants in order to achieve aesthetically desirable breasts, some find themselves unhappy with their breasts' size, position or shape after having this cosmetic procedure.

For example, sometimes, as a result of the surgeon's less-than-perfect work or because of the size or position of the woman's natural breasts, the insertion of the implants can result in a woman's breasts being too high up on their chest or being unnaturally far apart. Additionally, if a woman develops scar tissue around her implants, this tissue might cause the implants to look misshapen. Lastly, some women only realise that they chose excessively large implants after they have already had this surgery (this is a common error, as it's difficult to visualise exactly how implants of a certain size will look before they're inserted).

When these problems arise, many women decide to undergo explant surgery. Removing the implants can return a woman's breasts to a lower and more natural-looking position on the chest, reduce the impact any scar tissue had on the appearance of their breast shape and make the excessive distance between the two breasts less apparent.

Whilst women can have new implants inserted after having explant surgery, many do not end up doing this, as they know there is a risk that their new implants could cause the same aesthetic problems and that they would then have to get them removed a second time.

The implants are making their breasts sag

Sometimes, implants can make a woman's breasts sag quite a lot. This can happen if the implants are big and heavy and the woman's skin was already loose from prior weight gain and loss. In this situation, the implants can weigh down the breasts and cause drooping. Whilst some women do not mind this issue, others find that it restricts their clothing choices (as they may not feel able to wear, for example, backless dresses because they have to wear a bra to counteract the sagging) and that it reduces their self-confidence.

If women who have this problem undergo explant surgery to take out their implants, their breasts will not be weighed down and will, therefore, be less droopy. Depending on the severity of the sagging, this procedure might be enough to completely resolve the issue. However, if a woman also has a lot of loose skin on her breasts, her natural, implant-free breasts might still sag slightly. If this is the case, her surgeon might recommend that she have a breast lift after the explant operation in order to cut away this excess skin and reshape the breasts to give them a more lifted appearance.