DEFINITION
Sometimes, for various reasons, patients do not want to wear their breast implants anymore and consider removing them, but they always have some qualms when thinking about what their new image will be like without implants, after spending so many years with them and especially how their breast will be after the retreat.
Currently and thanks to modern plastic surgery techniques, removing implants is not a tragedy, since in the same intervention a breast lift is performed and if the patient wants more volume, grafts of fatty tissue can be placed.
INDICATIONS
Among the different reasons why patients want to permanently remove their implants, the most common are:
- Aging: the patient is at a time in her life when she does not want to have implants and fears that she may have a complication later on and not feel like going into an operating room when she is older.
- Lifestyle changes: Patients who, after adopting other habits, feel uncomfortable with the implants and decide to remove them.
- Complications from previous surgeries: a patient who despite having been operated on several times, continues to have poor results and complications, either due to poor planning of the surgeries or due to the patient’s own problems.
PROCESS
Surgery can be performed under local anesthesia if only the implant is to be removed without any other added procedures. If, on the contrary, a capsulectomy, a breast lift or augmentation with fat grafts is to be performed, general anesthesia is used for safety. In this you will fall asleep at the beginning of the surgery and you will wake up at the end of the surgery, without remembering anything and without having felt any pain.
When the breast is expected to fall and empty after removal of the implant, the patient is asked to raise the breast so that it is in a more aesthetic position. If, in addition to repositioning, the patient wishes to increase a certain size, it is possible to appeal to the placement of fatty tissue.
Generally, the patient stays in the hospital for 1 night, but it is also possible that she will go home the same day in the afternoon.
RESULTS
It is important to emphasize that if a patient decides to remove the implants, she should not be afraid of the possible cosmetic result. There are surgical techniques so that the result is optimal and natural, in such a way that the patient can lead a completely normal life, can dress up and go to the beach without being noticed.
CARE
Before the intervention, it is important to avoid tobacco consumption four weeks before. In addition to not consuming any type of medication without consulting us. You should rest and eat well the days before so that you are the best prepared for the surgery. You should not be very tanned, as it can negatively influence the evolution of scars.
After your surgery, we will give you all the written instructions regarding medication and care that you should have, as well as what you cannot do. The first days you may notice discomfort, tightness, and some areas with altered sensitivity, but all this will disappear as the days go by. Return to work is earlier than in the case of implants since there is no risk of opening wounds or the implant moving. We will discuss it in consultation, and we will indicate the periods.
RECOVERY
As for the recovery, it takes about three to four weeks and we could divide it into 2 parts. The first month, in which all exertion activity or driving should be avoided. A second part in which the activity is reintroduced in a progressive and controlled way.
PROFESSIONALS
The performance of this type of intervention must be performed by a plastic surgeon with experience in breast surgery. In addition, the professional must have special empathy for these cases since the patient presents even more doubts and fears than in primary breast augmentation surgery. Dr. Ospina has a long experience in this type of procedure and he is also dedicating part of his surgical activity to breast reconstruction in patients with breast cancer, which gives him a great knowledge of the anatomy and shape of the breast, as well as a closer relationship with patients.
FACILITIES
This type of intervention must be performed in a hospital that meets all health requirements and has an intensive care unit. Cosmetic surgery is a very regulated surgery with fewer complications, but in case they appear, it is essential to have the support of a good hospital. Hence, low-cost surgeries try to save money on this and are performed in small clinics where these safety conditions are not covered.
