A clear plan for life without implants.
Breast implant removal, also called explant surgery, removes existing implants when you no longer want them or when a medical concern calls for removal. Adonis Plastic Surgery in Torrance offers a consultation to discuss the likely appearance of your natural breasts, whether capsule treatment is indicated, and whether lifting should be considered.
$50 consultation fee, credited toward your final surgical invoice if you proceed.
Explant surgery · Capsule decisions · Shape after removal
Removing the implant is only part of the conversation.
Your priorities may be comfort, less volume, a different silhouette, or a preference to stop maintaining implants. The consultation should respect that choice and explain what removal may leave behind. Skin elasticity, natural breast volume, implant size, and previous lifting all affect the planning discussion.
A lift can reshape the skin envelope and reposition the nipple, but it does not replace the volume of an implant. Some patients prefer removal alone; others consider an additional procedure or wait to reassess after healing. Ask to compare those paths before deciding.
You no longer want implants
A change in preference is a valid reason to discuss removal; you do not need to want replacement implants.
Discomfort or heaviness
Symptoms need evaluation so the surgical discussion addresses the likely cause and realistic benefit.
An implant problem
Imaging findings, rupture, contracture, or other clinical concerns may influence how removal is planned.
Questions about shape afterward
Discuss the remaining tissue, possible loose skin, nipple position, and whether a lift fits your goals.
Compare the choices around removal.
Capsule treatment and breast reshaping are separate decisions. More extensive surgery is not automatically the appropriate option.
| Plan | What it involves | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Removal alone | Remove implants without routinely removing every part of the capsule. | Is there a medical reason to treat the capsule in my case? |
| Removal with capsule treatment | Remove part or all of the capsule when indicated. | What finding supports the planned extent of dissection? |
| Removal with a lift | Reshape the remaining breast and address skin or nipple position. | What scars and additional recovery would the lift create? |
| Staged reshaping | Remove first and reassess breast shape after healing. | Would waiting make the shaping decision clearer or safer? |
On a small screen, scroll the comparison horizontally.
Capsulectomy and “en bloc” are different terms.
A capsule is expected around an implant
The body forms a scar-tissue envelope around an implant. Whether that tissue should be left, partially removed, or fully removed depends on the clinical findings and operative risks.
Ask what the proposed capsule operation means
Partial capsulectomy removes some capsule. Total capsulectomy removes all of it; total intact means it is removed as one unit. The surgical consent should name the planned approach and explain why.
En bloc is an oncologic operation
The Breast Surgery Collaborative Community reserves en bloc capsulectomy—removal with a margin of uninvolved tissue—for suspected or established implant-associated cancer after appropriate workup. It is not a routine requirement for every explant.
Systemic symptoms deserve a broader assessment
People sometimes use “breast implant illness” to describe symptoms they associate with implants. Discuss those symptoms with your healthcare team. Removal cannot promise that fatigue, brain fog, pain, or other systemic symptoms will resolve.
Is explant surgery the right next step?
Health, previous surgery, current tissue condition, and realistic goals all influence whether another operation is appropriate.
- You want to remove implants and understand the expected change in volume and shape.
- You have symptoms or imaging findings that need a surgical assessment.
- Your health and healing factors can be addressed before an elective procedure.
- You can plan recovery and follow-up and accept the possibility of residual asymmetry or loose skin.
Know what the next step involves.
The consultation is where the proposed correction, alternatives, and limits come together. An operation is recommended only if the assessment supports it.
Clarify your priorities
Explain whether your main goal is removal, symptom evaluation, reshaping, or a combination.
Review devices and records
Bring the implant card, placement and revision reports, previous imaging, and your medication list.
Decide each part of the plan
Discuss removal, the indication for capsule work, any tissue testing, and a simultaneous versus staged lift.
Prepare for the recovery
Confirm transportation, help at home, incision and drain instructions, follow-up, and the written estimate.
Give your natural breasts time to settle.
Removal alone, extensive capsule surgery, and explant with a lift can recover differently. Early appearance does not establish the final shape.
Immediately afterward
Dressings, a support garment, and sometimes drains are used according to the procedure. Follow the instructions provided for your operation.
At home
Ask about showering, sleeping position, medication, and drain care when applicable. Keep the team’s contact instructions available.
Daily activities
Work, lifting, and exercise resume according to healing and surgeon clearance. An added lift or capsule dissection can affect restrictions.
Later healing
Swelling decreases and breast tissue adjusts over time. Discuss scar care and any later shaping decisions at follow-up visits.
Discuss the limits as carefully as the benefit.
Risks include bleeding, infection, fluid accumulation, altered sensation, poor healing, scars, anesthesia complications, and blood clots. After removal, breasts may have less volume, loose skin, contour depressions, or asymmetry. Additional capsule dissection has its own risks, including injury to nearby structures. A second procedure may be needed.
Ask your surgeon which risks matter most for your anatomy and health, how the proposed plan addresses them, and what would happen if healing or the result differs from expectations.
Understand the complete estimate.
This is Adonis’s published planning range for breast implant removal. Capsule work, rupture, operative complexity, anesthesia, and any lift can change the estimate. Removal with replacement is a different operation and a different price category.
Ask for an itemized quote that identifies the removal technique, any capsule work or pathology, and the fees and follow-up included. Insurance coverage is policy-specific and is not assured by a medical indication alone.
View published Adonis planning rangesFinal pricing follows an individualized surgical assessment. A planning estimate is not a guaranteed quote.
Consultation: $50
Credited toward your final surgical invoice if you proceed with surgery at Adonis.
Ask the team about available financing. Approval, terms, and eligibility depend on the financing provider.
Questions worth asking before you decide.
Use these answers to prepare for the conversation. Your examination and surgical history determine the recommendation for you.
Do I need to replace my implants after removal?
No. You can choose removal without replacement. The consultation should explain the likely appearance of your remaining breast tissue and any optional reshaping.
Is a total capsulectomy always necessary?
No. The indication and operative safety guide whether capsule tissue is left, partially removed, or fully removed. Ask what clinical finding supports the recommendation.
Is en bloc removal better for everyone?
No. En bloc describes an operation for suspected or established implant-associated cancer after workup. It is not interchangeable with total intact capsulectomy and is not a routine explant requirement.
Will removal cure breast implant illness?
A cure cannot be promised. Some patients report improvement, but symptoms have multiple possible causes. A careful medical assessment and realistic discussion should accompany the removal decision.
Can I have a lift at the same time?
Sometimes. The remaining tissue, skin, blood supply, desired shape, and surgical risk determine whether a combined or staged plan is more appropriate.
Will my breasts return to how they looked before implants?
That cannot be guaranteed. Aging, pregnancy, weight changes, tissue stretch, and previous surgery may have changed the natural breast.
Will I have drains?
Drains may be used depending on the extent of removal and capsule work. Ask how to care for them and what criteria are used for removal.
What if I want smaller implants instead?
Compare implant revision with removal. A smaller implant may also require pocket adjustment or a breast lift.
Make the removal decision with a clear view of the options and tradeoffs.
Request a private consultation in Torrance. Tell us what procedure you had and what is concerning you now so the team can help you prepare for the visit.
Medical sources & further reading
- ASPS: Breast Implant Removal
- ASPS: Breast Implant Removal Candidates
- ASPS: Breast Implant Removal Recovery
- ASPS: Breast Implant Removal Risks and Safety
- Breast Surgery Collaborative Community: Capsulectomy Consensus
- FDA: Risks and Complications of Breast Implants
- Adonis Plastic Surgery: Published Planning Price Ranges
Research informs general education; it does not predict an individual result. Published study outcomes are not Adonis outcomes.