Safety depends on patient condition.
Implant surgery for aesthetic and reconstructive purposes in the breast is a type of surgery where it is normal that the implants will not last a lifetime. The reasons may be due to natural changes with age, rupture of the implant, contracture of the capsule or a change of lifestyle that results in one not wanting implants anymore. In fact, the decision of having the implants taken out or going for new ones is something that the patients have to face with the help of their doctors. Among the patients who want to know which option is “safer,” the answer from the doctors has to be very straightforward. From the biological point of view, the complete removal (explantation) is at the same time the safest option, especially when it comes to long-term, as it gets rid of the foreign body. However, replacement is an extremely safe and normal procedure for those who want to keep their volume of the breast.
We at Lin Health Europe Clinic consider implant revision as a medically stimulating issue that has to be properly understood by the patient at the level of anatomy. For our international patients coming to Turkey, we stress that your decision should be based on the balance between long-term surgical risks and your permanent aesthetic goals. As the premier providers for complex breast revisions, we pair the highest level of medical rigor with a very personal approach wherein we walk you through the biological and aesthetic implications of both explantation and replacement.
Explanation is The Safest Option
If safety is to mean that there will be as little medical intervention in the future, then explantation should be the choice. Implants with various complications can be literally resolved by taking out the breast implants and apart from that, the risk of being exposed to any further dangers related to the implant is not.
Several risks connected to the devices can be eliminated when those devices are no longer inserted, whether it is silicone or saline. These include the risks of ruptures, silent leaks, and capsular contracture (the painful hardening of scar tissue around the implant). In addition, it is getting rid of the need for future routine MRI screenings. Our surgical team at Lin Health Europe Clinic in Turkey has great respect for patients who opt for this path. If you go to our clinic with a great name, your implants will be removed with the utmost care, with the focus on restoring the natural health of your breasts and making sure that you will never have to go through an implant-related operation again.
What Implant Replacement Surgery Entails
Replacement of implants is still considered one of the safest and most well-established methods in clinics. Newer models of silicone implants are highly durable and have significantly reduced rupture rates in comparison with the first models. However, the idea of the biological “clock” related to any medical device has to be made known to the patients.
Should you stay in Turkey and decide on the replacement, the Lin Health Europe Clinic staff will remind you that you are, in fact, starting this surgical clock over. Although the new implants are in perfect condition and safe, it is rather probable that you will have to undergo another replacement operation in 10 to 15 years. We want an outstanding result to be accompanied by good knowledge; replacement means that you have understood that breast augmentation is a lifelong commitment involving regular upkeep and future revision surgeries.
Handling the Capsule: En Bloc vs. Open Capsulectomy
One very important factor for safety in removal and replacement is the surgeon’s decision in handling the “capsule”—the very wall of scar tissue which your body made around the initial implant. Those who are removing implants because of the suspected Breast Implant Illness (BII) or due to very bad contracture are our experts at Lin Health Europe Clinic usually doing “En Bloc” or total capsulectomy. This difficult surgical method extracts the implant as well as the scar tissue capsule entirely as one hermetically sealed unit, thereby preventing any internal fluid from leaking into the chest cavity. When it is just a matter of replacing an implant with a healthier one of a different size, a partial capsulectomy or leaving the healthy capsule intact is often enough from the medical point of view and will cause less surgery for the patient.
The Tradeoffs of Aesthetics and the Role of Mastopexy
Choosing between removal and replacement does not usually revolve solely around medical safety; it is actually very much linked to the structural aesthetics of the breast. Breasts are made up of the parenchyma and the implant can stretch both the parenchyma and the overlying skin envelope. Taking out the implants only without replacing them will cause the skin that was stretched to collapse and you will be left with a hollow breast that is also severely sagging (ptosis).
Reconstruction work at Lin Health Europe Clinic is what can be called our signature. Should you go with the option of the permanent removal, it is practically a given that our surgeons in Turkey will be recommending doing a mastopexy (breast lift). A firm, raised and youthful shape is what we achieve by the excision of your relaxed skin and by the surgical reshaping of the breast tissue. As a trade-off we also do micro-fat grafting at the most advanced level — extraction and purification of one’s own fat for a modest volume addition safely without foreign implants.
Why Choose to Replace Your Implants in Turkey?
At Lin Health Europe Clinic, we believe that the essence of medical luxury is the ability and freedom to change your mind about your body, backed by the highest-quality surgical interventions. Our center in Turkey is not just an ordinary medical facility but a true temple of medical excellence, housing the state-of-the-art, JCI-accredited hospitals symbolizing our rank as the world leaders in international medical tourism and the topmost advanced breast surgeries.
When you opt for Lin Health Europe Clinic, you shall be entrusting yourself to the best board-certified surgeons of Istanbul. Our internationally renowned plastic surgeons, apart from being highly skilled in every aspect, are also committed to complete honesty about implant aging and excellence in aesthetic results if you become their international patient. Precisely from your very first ultrasound screening and up until your final and beautifully healed contour, you will be undergoing a process planned with professionalism and hospitality at the very highest level that has made us the most recognized name in plastic surgery worldwide. Your path to physical well-being and confidence lasting a lifetime is, with us, in the hands of the world’s very best .
FAQ:
Well, from a purely medical perspective, implant removal without replacement is the safest thing for you in the long run. This sort of permanent explantation will get rid of the risk of implant rupture at any time in the future and it also means you will not ever have to go for another replacement surgery.
Since the skin and the tissues have been stretched a lot, the breast will, unfortunately, not just go back to their original, pre-surgery shape. Normally, in addition to the explant, most people who have their breast implants removed in Turkey also have a breast lift (mastopexy) in order to give the breast mound a better shape and get rid of the excess skin.
Breast implants are not for a lifetime and the surgery to replace them is typically needed every 10 to 15 years. If you notice any changes in breast shape, increased firmness or if you think there might be a silent rupture, you should make an appointment with a doctor.
The surgery is done while you are under general anesthesia so you will not feel any pain at all during the operation. Soreness after surgery can be very well controlled with medication and is quite often a lot less painful than the discomfort you went through after the augmentations.
Indeed, you may just have the surgical removal of your breast implants if you are not interested in keeping them any longer. Nonetheless, our experts in Istanbul strongly advise that you accompany this removal with a lift so that you do not end up with very saggy breasts and thus the contour having a natural look can be restored.
Rohrich, R. J., et al. (2006). The safety of breast implants: a comprehensive review. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
De Jong, D., et al. (2008). Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma in women with breast implants. JAMA.
Spear, S. L., et al. (2007). Breast implant revision: evaluation and treatment. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Maxwell, G. P., & Gabriel, A. (2014). The evolution of breast implants. Clinics in Plastic Surgery.
