1. How much does breast explanation cost? 

If a patient's implant has leaked or ruptured, many insurance companies will pay for the removal. However, if the individual wants a new implant placed, then there may be a cosmetic fee out of pocket. That fee varies widely from one doctor to the next and may also be influenced by the circumstances of the leak. Some of the breast implant manufactorers also will give a free implant to the patient if a rupture or mechanical defect can be shown, and they sometimes offer a small amount of money towards subsequent surgery.

2. Will breasts sag after an explant? 

If breast implants are removed and not replaced, there can be sagging.This depends on a wide variety of factors, e.g. larger implants stretch the skin and breasts more than small ones and therefore might lead to ptosis. The patient often had sagging preop and that is one of the reasons the implants were placed originally, and it will return or get worse after the explantation. The age of the patient, how long the implants have been in, prior pregnancies and breastfeeding may also play a role.

3. How long is the recovery period after breast explant?

If an implant is removed and no capsulectomy, mastopexy or replacement is performed, this is usually a quick and relatively easy outpatient procedure. It can be performed under a general anesthesia or a type of local with sedation. Discomfort is minimal compared to the original procedure but the patient must still be careful and not overdo things for at least a couple of weeks for basic wound healing.

4. What are the possible complications attached to breast explanation?

As with any operation a patient can have some bleeding, infection, bad scar or other healing problems. The risk of these, unless additional procedures are done at the same time, are quite low. If no implant is put back in, sagging, breast asymmetry or other contour problems may occur.

5. How is breast implant replacement surgery done?

Usually the plastic surgeon will use the original scar to access the pocket where the implant is located. The implant is simply removed and the incision closed. If the patient is having new implants placed at the same time, the proper size is chosen and they are carefully inserted. Sometimes if the old implants were hard, a capsulectomy (removal of internal scar tissue) is done first. If the patient has sagging she sometimes will elect to have a mastopexy(breast lift) done during the same procedure. There are several ways of doing the mastopexy and they all involve additional scars. The options should be reviewed in detail with you during your consultation.