There are several reasons you may have decided to get breast implants. Breast implants are typically used for breast augmentation, but they can also be used for breast reconstruction after a mastectomy. Sometimes, these breast implants need to be removed. For example, in rare instances, a capsular contracture can form around the implant, causing pain and discomfort.
Other women develop breast implant illness, affecting their overall health. Symptoms include chronic fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, or joint pain.
Our board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Kai Morimoto, has years of experience in all types of breast surgeries. If you have questions about your breast implants and are considering breast implant removal in Coeur d’Alene, we encourage you to call us today and schedule a consultation to discuss your options.
Breast implant removal surgery, or explant surgery, is a procedure performed under anesthesia to remove breast implants. Women in Coeur d’Alene may choose breast implant removal for several reasons, such as:
Your body typically forms a capsule of scar tissue around the breast implant in the months after it is implanted. This has several advantages, such as keeping the implants in position. However, sometimes, the capsule can contract, causing pain and discomfort called capsular contracture. This capsular scar tissue is removed during explant surgery.
Women may also opt for a breast lift during the breast implant removal to restore breast shape, firmness, and natural placement on the chest wall.
Breast implant illness is a collection of symptoms some women experience after getting implants. While the condition is not officially recognized as a medical diagnosis, we have seen plenty of women whose symptoms have disappeared after breast implant removal surgery.
Some of the common symptoms of breast implant illness include:
The cause of breast implant illness is unclear, but several theories suggest that the immune system responds to the materials used in the implant and triggers an inflammatory or autoimmune reaction.
Medical science has not defined a specific test to diagnose the condition. However, after ruling out other potential causes of their symptoms, many women find relief after explant surgery, especially when a total capsulectomy is performed.
Removing the scar tissue around the breast implants may be necessary to remove the foreign material from the implants that your body is reacting to. At KM Plastic Surgery, we use a questionnaire of symptoms before and after your breast implant removal surgery in Coeur d’Alene to help you rate the severity of the symptoms.
This demonstrates that what you were experiencing was associated with the breast implants. The checklist is relatively simple and includes symptoms like weight gain or loss, easy bruising, low libido, and chronic neck and back pain.
A total breast capsulectomy can improve your chances of reducing or eliminating symptoms. During a total capsulectomy, all the scar tissue surrounding the breast implant is typically removed. Usually, the surgeon cuts the capsule and removes the implant before removing the scar tissue.
This differs from an en bloc capsulectomy procedure, where a surgeon removes the breast implant and the capsule without cutting or breaking the capsule. This is the best breast implant removal method in Coeur d’Alene when there are concerns about breast implant illness, or the implant has leaked.
Dr. Morimoto is experienced in en bloc procedures and exercises caution to ensure that the scar tissue is removed. In some cases, a surgeon may leave some of the breast capsule if it is attached to your ribs. This increases the chances that you will continue to have symptoms from exposure to the breast implant material that is left behind.
However, Dr. Morimoto uses an en bloc procedure to remove the scar tissue from your ribs. Our medical team takes pictures during the procedure so you can see that the implant and the capsule were removed together, without breaking the capsule.
When you are experiencing capsular contracture, breast implant illness symptoms, or implant complications, we encourage you to contact our office to learn more about breast implant removal in Coeur d’Alene.
Dr. Kai Morimoto will evaluate your situation and answer any questions you may have. She and our medical team are highly skilled and experienced in breast surgical techniques. Symptoms of breast implant illness do not go away on their own. Schedule a consultation today to learn about how we can help.
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