For informed conversations with your healthcare team. This guide is not personalised medical advice and has not been individually reviewed by a clinician.
Bring the history together
Deciding to remove breast implants can involve appearance, discomfort, device problems or wider symptoms. Gather your implant card, operation report, any imaging and a dated account of what has changed. If records are missing, tell the surgeon rather than guessing the device details. The consultation should identify the questions that need investigation before an operation is selected. ASPS notes that symptoms attributed to breast implant illness can overlap with other conditions and that no single diagnostic test establishes it. Ask how alternative explanations will be assessed alongside the discussion about your implants.
Ask what the words mean
Implant removal and removal of the surrounding scar capsule are related but distinct surgical steps. Ask the surgeon to explain the extent of capsule surgery proposed for you and its rationale. Terms such as complete removal and en bloc should be defined precisely, including whether the term is medically applicable in your situation. The joint ISAPS safety advisory addresses concerns about guarantees attached to capsule removal. Request an account of additional risks, tissue testing and what might change during surgery. A named technique should not replace a discussion of the reason for performing it.
Plan the result and the review
Discuss how the breasts may look after removal and whether a lift, replacement implant or no further reshaping is appropriate. You can consider these choices separately rather than accepting an immediate replacement package. For overseas treatment, ask where any pathology results will be sent and who will explain them after you return home. Agree how ongoing symptoms will be reviewed without assuming that surgery will resolve every concern. Keep copies of the removal report and test results with your original device records so future clinicians can understand the complete history.
Questions to take with you
- Why is this extent of capsule removal proposed?
- Which symptoms need investigation before surgery?
- Who will discuss tissue results and persistent symptoms after I return?
Sources & further reading
Further reading from the medical, regulatory and specialist organisations cited in this article.
- ASPS: Breast implant safety
- ISAPS: Patient safety advisory on breast implant removal and capsulectomy
