If you’re experiencing symptoms that you think may be linked to your breast augmentation, it’s normal to feel apprehensive about your options or what your body might look like if your symptoms demand the removal of your breast implants, and one of the best ways to combat apprehensiveness is through information.
What is breast explant surgery?
Breast implant removal, also known as explant surgery, is a surgical procedure that removes (or explants) the implants from the breast pocket. It’s done for a number of reasons, from breast implant illness to end of their natural lifespan (it’s recommended that you replace your breast implants every 10 years to avoid any complications) to capsular contracture or rupture and even simple just change in your preferences.
How common is breast implant illness?
Currently the rate of BII is around 1 in 2,000 to 1 in 86,000, depending on the type of implant and who makes it. Unfortunately, Breast Implant 
Illness is still somewhat of a mystery, but it’s thought to be a systemic inflammatory reaction or a rare autoimmune reaction to breast implants or the scar tissue surrounding the implants, but while some who experience BII also get diagnosed with a specific autoimmune or connective tissue disorder, many don’t. Some believe it’s due to breast implant contamination (which is why it’s so important to initially choose a board certified plastic surgeon for your breast augmentation surgery). Others believe some women may be genetically predisposed to developing an immune reaction to the materials used in breast implants.
How to know if you have breast implant illness?
Some symptoms of implant sickness that are commonly reported include:
- Chronic fatigue and headaches
- Persistent joint and muscle pain
- Unexplained respiratory difficulties
- Hair loss and frequent skin rashes
- Chronically dry mouth and eyes
- Poor memory and concentration
- Depression, anxiety, and insomnia
If you’re concerned about what you’ll look like after your breast implant removal, our biggest tip is to choose an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon to ensure you love your breasts after explant surgery. You may need an explant surgery with lift, where your surgeon performs a breast lift along with your breast implant removal to maintain a perky, youthful shape and position to the breasts. Another option to consider is a fat transfer breast augmentation: a two-fold process that takes excess, unwanted fat from one part of the body through liposuction and injects it into the breast to achieve an enhanced size and shape.
To ensure you have the best possible outcome, Dr. Barrett has curated an Explant Detox Kit to set his breast implant removal patients up for surgical success with the least amount of down time and discomfort possible.
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