Breast Implant Removal There are many reasons why a woman may want to have her breast implants removed. The implants may be old first or second generation implants and have become hardened, distorted and uncomfortable because of surrounding scar tissue over the years. In other cases, newer saline implants may have leaked. Many women, even when thin and small breasted when young, put on weight during the menopausal years and that weight often goes to the chest. A woman with implants may find herself in the position of being too busty and feeling and looking a little, say we say, matronly. Sometimes women get to be older and just feel silly having implants. I’ve even had patients who have a major life change (entering a nunnery, for example) and feel their implants no longer reflect their true selves. The bad news about implant removal is that it is a surgical procedure. Implants can’t be wished away. The good news is that after implant removal, it is almost always possible to do something to help restore the breast to a pleasing appearance. This may involve replacing the old implant with a new one or it may involve lifting the deflated breast and making it “perky”. Sometimes women elect to have nothing done and if the patient is young and has fairly elastic skin, the breast will often return to a look similar to the preoperative size and shape. I have had patients who have suffered for a decade or more with old, hard, painful implants and lived in fear that nothing short of removal of the implant and the breast could be done. This is not the case at all. Implant removal is usually quite straightforward and there are options for treatment of the deflated breast. Please see my gallery photo for some examples of breast implant removal.