Breast Implant Replacement / Removal

Your consultation is designed to be perfect opportunity to ask all the pressing questions that you have to your consultant, ahead of making a decision on surgery. It is vital that you are fully informed before making your final decision, and the consultation is therefore a key part of the education and decision making process.

Some good examples of questions to ask, include:

+ Am I a good candidate for this procedure?
+ Do you think my goals are realistic given my existing anatomy?
+ Will I require a single surgery or multiple surgeries?
+ Can I see some before & after pictures of implant replacement procedures you have done previously?
+ How long will my recovery take?
+ Is it true that Cadogan offers 24/7 on call nursing service?
+ What can I expect in terms of bruising, swelling and scarring?
+ What are my options if I am unhappy with my results?

After your surgery, you will be asked to come in for a post-operative appointment to come back and see our nursing staff at the Clinic between 1 and 2 weeks after your surgery. At this point your incision sites will be reviewed, and your preliminary healing will be assessed.

After 6 weeks your surgeon will personally review your progress – again at the Clinic - and make sure you are recovering as expected. In addition, they will remove any stitches and advise you on the need for further dressings.

Throughout the recovery period you will have full access to our 24/7 on call nursing service, and full access to the Clinic and our post-operative facilities.
Our aim is to make you feel as comfortable as possible during the entirety of your recovery period.

As your anaesthetic or sedation wear off you will wake up in our recovery facilities at the Clinic. You may feel a little drowsy but this often wears off within a few hours. After several hours in recovery, you will eat and hydrate. At that point, you will be allowed to leave the Clinic by our nursing staff.

It is common to feel a little pain and discomfort in the immediate aftermath of surgery. This will wear off in due course. Our 24/7 on call service is open to all patients for any question or query they may have at this time.

You will not be able to drive yourself home after the surgery. You should arrange for someone to pick you up and take you home. In addition, you will need to ask someone to stay with you for the first 24 hours after your procedure.

One of the major benefits of day case surgery and the anaesthetic used at the Cadogan Clinic (TIVA) is that recovery is typically very swift and patients can be back at work and active very shortly after the procedure. Whilst the extent of such activity should be gradually phased in, you should be back at work within a week or two and exercising within four to six weeks.

We always advise that you return to low impact activities first like walking and cycling before you are able to reintroduce more strenuous activity such as lifting heavy weights and doing intense aerobic activities.

Final results are typically first seen six or so weeks after your procedure, with ongoing improvements beyond this point likely as the healing process fully completes over the next 3 months or so.

Your surgeon will be able to give you specific guidance at your consultation.

Certain lifestyle factors can increase the risk of complications during and after your surgery. These include smoking, drinking alcohol, being overweight and taking drugs (for medical or recreational use.)

The most common impact of smoking before your surgery is that it increases your chances of developing an infection and inhibits your body's natural healing processes. We insist that all patients stop smoking and using nicotine products at least six weeks before surgery. Reducing alcohol intake is also strongly advised.

Your doctor will discuss your current BMI and drug use at your consultation and advise you further on this.

A breast implant is a foreign body that does not occur naturally in the human body. When a foreign body is introduced to the human body, the human body recognises it as foreign and organically forms a fibrous tissue capsule around the entire implant. This occurs with a breast implant and is completely normal and expected.

The capsule formation process will be slightly different from person to person, however. In those who form more scar tissue (who 'scar easily'), the breasts develop an excessively hard or high volume of tissue around the breast, which may form with the muscular tissue and cause it to contract.
This is called Capsular contracture, and can cause problems with the appearance of the breast implant, deforming the size, shape and proportions of the breast. The contractions themselves can also be uncomfortable for the individual.

Breast Implant Replacement surgery is effective surgery in which the capsule can be removed (Capsulectomy) and a new implant inserted around which a new, healthy capsule can be formed and the original desired aesthetic restored

PIP implants were cheap silicone breast implants that were found to contain an unapproved silicone gel with potential health risks. They were also revealed as prone to splitting and up to six times as likely to rupture as high quality, approved implants.

PIP implants were largely used by low-cost, chain cosmetic providers due to the fact that they were the cheapest on the market. Almost 50,000 women in the UK received these implants.

Understandably, once this was found out by regulators, many women who had received the PIP implants wanted them removed or replaced, even though no link was ever directly proven to serious health complications.

During this crisis, the Cadogan Clinic became one of the most prominent corrective implant Clinics in the country, since we never used PIP products and enjoy a reputation as one of the leading specialist plastic and cosmetic clinics in the country. We continue to see PIP patients today

Signs of a ruptured implant include:

- swelling or a lump around the breast
- a change in the shape of the breast
- redness, pain or a burning sensation

If you have any of these symptoms of a ruptured implant you should seek immediate medical advice. Typically you will require a scan to confirm you have ruptured implants.

Ruptured implants need to be removed or replaced as soon as they have been diagnosed.

Breast Implant Replacement surgery is relatively straightforward surgery.

Most implants can be removed quite easily, even under local anaesthesia. Polyurethane covered implants (Polytech) can be more difficult to extract, if one wants to remove all the foam covering.

Surgery time is commonly no more than an hour or two.

The breast will typically resume a normal shape and volume in the few weeks following surgery.

In some instances, particularly in older patients, there may be some excess skin or tissue caused by the effects of ageing or by stretching during pregnancy or weight gain.

Some patients elect to have a combination mastopexy (breast lift) at the same time to ensure to this loose skin is pre-emptively tightened around the new breast mould or even excised completely. This procedure can also ensure an optimal breast and nipple position is delivered, and that the breasts feel firmer following surgery.

Breast implants do not have an expiration date so you may not need to replace them at any stage following surgery.

Breast implant replacement surgery, or a change of implants, is typically only necessary when the breast implants no longer looks or feels good.

Sometimes a change of implants is necessary after childbirth, or due to the natural effects of ageing or following weight loss. In each instance, saggy breasts or asymmetric breasts can easily be corrected by a change of implants.

Breast Implant Removal differs from Breast Implant Replacement in so far as the implant is removed and not replaced during such surgery.

After Breast Implant Removal the skin and tissue will retract to how they were before your initial breast implant surgery, meaning that in all likelihood no additional procedure will be required to restore your previous look.

In some instances, however, natural fat transfer breast augmentation alternatives might be necessary to counteract any appearance of breast deflation or emptiness.

Breast implant removal surgery is not usually required following breast implant surgery, and is only necessary in the rare instances where there is a complication following surgery. This could be capsular contracture or a ruptured breast implant.

We would typically ask you to get a scan to confirm what has happened, before coming in for a breast implant removal consultation with your surgeon.

Breast implants do not have an expiration date. It is not the case that implants should be replaced every 10 years. If implants are looking good and feeling good there is no reason to change them.

Breast Implants only need to be replaced in the very rare case whereby they break or rupture, which is usually a result of sub-standard implants or sub-standard surgery. This is not serious or a health risk, but may cause a change in shape or feel of the implant necessitating its removal.

Implants can also be replaced for personal reasons, including wanting to change the shape or size of the implants, breasts change due to weight loss or gain, age or having children.

If you think you require breast implant removal then we recommend you get in touch with your surgeon to discuss this immediately.

Implants that require removal or replacing must be removed addressed swiftly, particularly in the case of ruptured implants or capsular contracture.

All of our breast surgeons perform breast implant removal surgery at the Cadogan Clinic. Breast implant removal is straightforward surgery and takes no longer than one hour to complete.

The Cadogan Clinic has become a well-known provider of implant replacement services as our reputation as a trusted cosmetics provider was enhanced following the PIP scandal that implicated so many of our competitors.

As one of the few Clinics in the country not to use PIP products and insist on higher quality products, we were at the forefront of the replacement drive. It remains one of our most commonly performed surgical procedures at the Clinic to this day.