Breast implant removal

What is breast implant removal?

Breast implant removal (explantation) is an operation to take out breast implants. It may be done with or without removing the capsule, which is the layer of scar tissue your body forms around any implant. Removing the capsule is called a capsulectomy.

People have implants removed for many reasons: a change of mind, ageing or sagging, pain or discomfort, hardening of the capsule (capsular contracture), a suspected or confirmed rupture, problems with imaging, or symptoms they attribute to their implants (sometimes called breast implant illness). Rarely, removal is advised because of a specific concern such as breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), an uncommon cancer of the immune system that can form in the capsule, usually years after surgery, and most often shows up as new swelling or fluid around an implant.

Implants can be removed and not replaced, removed and replaced with new implants, or removed alongside an uplift (mastopexy) to address loose skin. Whatever the reason, the implants and any removed capsule are usually sent to the laboratory to be examined.

An important point is that the breasts will not look the same as they did with implants. After removal the skin is often looser, the breasts may be smaller and saggier, and the two sides may differ. This is normal and worth understanding before deciding.

Types & techniques

There isn't one single operation. The right approach depends on you — which is something to discuss with your surgeon.

Removal only vs removal with capsulectomy

Removing healthy capsule routinely adds risk for little benefit. Your surgeon should explain why a capsulectomy is or is not advised in your case.

Preparing for your surgery

• See the operating surgeon and be clear about your reason for removal and what you want afterwards.
• Discuss whether the capsule will be removed, and whether you want implants replaced or an uplift.
• Bring details of your original implants if you have them (type, size, date, any record card).
• Ask realistically how your breasts are likely to look afterwards, including sagging and asymmetry.
• Follow fasting instructions for the general anaesthetic and arrange a lift home and help at home.
• Tell the team about all medicines and supplements, including blood thinners.
• Stop smoking well beforehand, as it significantly raises the risk of wound and healing problems.
• For cosmetic surgery, expect a cooling-off period to think it over before committing.

What happens

You are usually asleep under general anaesthetic. The surgeon generally uses your existing scar, often in the fold under the breast, although this cut may need to be a little larger to remove the implant and any capsule.

The implant is removed. Depending on the plan, some or all of the scar-tissue capsule is removed as well; for suspected BIA-ALCL the aim is to remove the implant and capsule intact. A drain is often placed to collect fluid, and the implants and any capsule are sent to the laboratory.

If you are having new implants or an uplift, these are done at the same time, which lengthens the operation. The wounds are closed, dressings and sometimes a support garment are applied, and you are given advice on drains, wound care, pain relief and follow-up. You may go home the same day or stay one night.

Is this operation right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Anaesthetic choices

The safest option depends on the operation, your health, the facility and your surgeon/anaesthetist. Ask what is planned and why.

The biggest thing to understand is the change in appearance: after removal the breasts are often smaller, looser and may differ, and no operation can restore exactly how they looked before implants. Removing healthy capsule routinely adds risk, including bleeding and rarely entering the chest cavity, for little proven benefit, so a capsulectomy should be done for a clear reason. If you are considering removal because of symptoms you attribute to your implants (breast implant illness), be aware this is not yet a defined medical diagnosis, and some symptoms may persist; an honest discussion of what removal can and cannot promise is essential.

Published figures to discuss

Risk depends heavily on how much surgery is done — removal alone is lower-risk than removal with capsulectomy, replacement or uplift. The key UK figure to understand is the rarity of BIA-ALCL: it is uncommon and usually treatable when caught early, so symptomless implants are not removed routinely. Breast implant illness is not a defined diagnosis with measurable success rates from removal. These figures and contexts come from MHRA and specialist-society sources rather than clinic claims.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

Recovery — what to expect, and when

Recovery depends on how much is done. Removal alone has a quicker recovery; removal with capsulectomy, replacement or an uplift takes longer and is more uncomfortable. Drains, if used, usually come out within a few days.

• Bruising, swelling and tightness that improve over the first weeks
• Breasts that look deflated or saggy at first, gradually settling into their new shape
• Altered nipple or skin sensation that often, but not always, recovers
• A pink, firm scar along the existing scar line that fades over months

Aftercare

• Take prescribed painkillers and any antibiotics as directed.
• Wear the support garment or supportive bra as advised.
• Look after drains as instructed if you go home with one.
• Keep wounds clean and dry and avoid soaking them until healed.
• Avoid heavy lifting and vigorous exercise until your surgeon clears you.
• Protect scars from sun while they settle.
• Watch for signs of infection, bleeding or a growing swelling and report them.
• Attend follow-up so wounds, drains and the laboratory result are reviewed.

• A support garment or supportive bra
• Prescribed painkillers and any antibiotics collected
• Help at home for the first days, especially after capsulectomy or uplift
• Someone to drive you home and stay overnight
• Time off work arranged (often 1–2 weeks or more)
• A plan for drain care if going home with one
• The clinic's out-of-hours contact number saved
• The date and place for your results and follow-up

Scars and how they heal

The surgeon usually uses your existing implant scar, often in the fold under the breast, though it may be made a little larger to remove the implant and capsule. If an uplift is done at the same time, there will be additional scars around the nipple and sometimes down the breast. Scars are pink and firm at first and fade over months but do not disappear. The breast skin may be loose after removal, which can affect the final look. Some people are prone to thickened or keloid scars; sun protection helps scars settle.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Increasing redness, heat, swelling or discharge from a wound (possible infection)
• A breast that is rapidly swelling, hard or very painful
• Bleeding that will not stop, or a fast-growing bruise
• Fever or feeling generally unwell
• Shortness of breath or chest pain (seek urgent help)
• The nipple or skin turning dark or losing colour (possible blood-supply problem)
• Calf pain, swelling or breathlessness (possible clot — seek urgent help)
• New swelling, a lump or fluid around a remaining implant in future — always have it checked

Who to contact: your surgeon or clinic first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your surgeon gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A good result is that the reason for removal is dealt with — pain eased, a ruptured or hardened implant gone, or the implant and capsule removed where there was a specific concern — and the wounds heal well. Where BIA-ALCL is caught early, removing the implant and capsule intact is usually curative.

What removal cannot do is restore the breasts to how they looked before implants. They are often smaller, looser and may differ, and an uplift may be discussed to improve the shape. If you have symptoms you attribute to your implants, removal may help, but this cannot be guaranteed and some symptoms can persist. The laboratory result on the capsule completes the picture and is explained to you afterwards.

Once implants are removed and not replaced, the result is permanent in the sense that there is no implant to fail, although the breasts continue to age and skin may stay loose. If you have new implants, they do not last a lifetime and are likely to need further surgery in the future for problems such as rupture or capsular contracture. Any future implant should come with a clear plan for monitoring and a record of its type.

Combining with other procedures

Removal is often combined with a capsulectomy where the capsule is problematic, and sometimes with replacement implants or an uplift (mastopexy) to address loose skin. Each addition increases scarring, operating time and recovery. Investigation such as imaging, and sometimes sampling of any fluid around the implant, is done beforehand if BIA-ALCL or rupture is suspected.

Follow-up & long-term care

You will normally be seen within the first week or two for wound checks and drain removal, and again as swelling settles. The laboratory result on the implant and capsule is explained to you, usually within a couple of weeks. If a specific diagnosis such as BIA-ALCL is found, you will be referred for specialist follow-up. If you keep implants in future, you should know the warning signs that need checking.

• If you keep or replace implants, stay alert to new swelling, lumps or shape change and have them checked
• Keep a record of any implant's type, size and date
• Attend any agreed follow-up or imaging
• Remember that replacement implants are likely to need further surgery over time

Revision and secondary surgery reality

• Loose skin or asymmetry after removal may prompt a later uplift (mastopexy).
• Replacement implants are not lifelong and are likely to need further surgery over time.
• A complication such as bleeding or a fluid collection may need a return to theatre or a drainage procedure.
• An unexpected diagnosis on the capsule may lead to further specialist treatment.

Ask your surgeon for their own revision rate, what counts as a revision, and what is included in the written aftercare policy.

What good aftercare looks like

• Clear written wound, drain and warning-sign instructions with a named contact.
• Honest pre-operative photographs and discussion of the likely change in appearance.
• A defined process for the laboratory result on the implant and capsule, with referral if BIA-ALCL is found.
• Early and later review as swelling and scars settle.
• A monitoring plan and warning signs if any implant remains in place.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• Whether the capsule is removed, and how extensively (capsulectomy or en-bloc)
• Whether implants are replaced or an uplift is done at the same time
• The surgeon's fee, anaesthetist's fee and theatre or facility fee
• Any new implants and the use of drains
• Laboratory (pathology) fees for examining the implant and capsule
• Length of stay and follow-up appointments
• Pre-operative imaging if rupture or BIA-ALCL is suspected

• The surgeon's fee and the anaesthetist's fee
• Theatre or facility fee and any overnight stay
• Cost of new implants if being replaced
• Pathology (laboratory) fees for the implant and capsule
• Follow-up appointments, dressings and drain care
• Cancellation policy and what happens if a complication occurs
• What is included if further surgery or revision is needed

On the NHS? Breast implant removal is funded by the NHS only in specific clinical situations (such as rupture, severe capsular contracture, infection, imaging problems or suspected BIA-ALCL); removal for cosmetic reasons or a change of mind is usually private.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a surgeon safely

• Check your surgeon is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they practise at a CQC-registered location, and look for membership of bodies like BAAPS or BAPRAS.
• You're entitled to a two-stage consent process with time to reflect (a cooling-off period). The surgeon who will operate must consent you — not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers, discounts or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good surgeon will welcome every one of these.

• What is the specific reason you are recommending removal in my case?
• Do you advise removing the capsule, and if so, why and how much?
• How are my breasts likely to look afterwards, and would I need an uplift?
• What are the risks of capsulectomy, including bleeding and entering the chest cavity?
• If my reason is symptoms I attribute to my implants, what can removal realistically promise?
• Will the implant and capsule be sent for examination, and how will I get the result?
• If I have new implants, what future surgery might I need?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the surgeon who carries out my operation, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this operation not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified surgeon for breast implant removal

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How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: Association of Breast Surgery — BIA-ALCL information for patients NHS — Cosmetic procedures: breast enlargement (implants) BAPRAS — breast implant information UK guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of BIA-ALCL (PRASEAG/MHRA) — PubMed MHRA — Breast implants and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.