It’s no surprise that as we move through life, our preferences and options change. There’s also circumstances out of our control that may force our hands. If you’re thinking about breasts implant removal surgery—whether your personal preferences have changed or you’re experiencing symptoms that may demand their removal—it’s normal to feel apprehensive about what your body might look like.

What is explant surgery?

Before we discuss options, let’s first discuss the basics of  breast implant removal. Also known as explant surgery, the removal of breast implants 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.

What do breasts look like after implants are removed?

The short and long answer is: it depends. You should always choose an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon for the is to ensure you love your new results. If you’re afraid of them falling flat, you may need 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. Finally, if replacing your implants is your choice, you’ll want to ensure your new implants are proportional to your body so that they look as natural as possible.

A great option for those partucialy worried about the scarring associated with traditional breast augmentation, breast augmentation through fat grafting leaves minimal to no scarring on the breast. In fact, when it comes to breast augmentation, there is no operation that has as minimal scarring as augmenting through fat transfer especially as performed by Dr. Barrett. He utilizes a tiny, little pinhole, either in the border of the areola on the bottom, or in the breast crease. And typically, you only need just one! If you’re looking at the area with a magnifying glass, yes, perhaps you will notice a mark, but rare occasions like that aside, because it’s a tiny little hole for a tiny little cannula, you’ll likely never notice a single mark on your breasts.

Additionally, Dr. Barrett has developed detailed scar management protocols and closure techniques to reduce visible scarring for his patients. Following the removal of your explant surgical stitches, you’ll likely be instructed to tape your incisions for a period of time. Upon completion, it’s recommended that you begin using scar gel. Skinuva® is surgical scar healing cream that’s backed by science and uses highly selective growth factors which are shown to be twice as effective as silicone cream.

Determining what your breasts will look like after your explant surgery will depend on your specific surgical plan, and having realistic expectations for your surgical outcome is very important to your overall satisfaction. Dr. Barrett has gathered an assortment of explant surgery before and after images you may want to browse to get a fuller scope of not only the type of outcome you can expect, but also his work in breast augmentation and reconstruction.

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