Breast Implant Removal (Explant) in Santa Barbara

Breast Implant Removal generally runs $5,000–$15,000 per procedure, and each Santa Barbara clinic sets its own price. The biggest variables are the provider's experience level and the specific device or product used. Newer technology and senior injectors price at the upper end. Pricing is quoted in US dollars (USD). Request a consultation from any of our listed Santa Barbara clinics for a personalized quote.

Initial results in 2–4 weeks, with full results developing over 3 months as collagen builds. Santa Barbara providers typically schedule follow-ups to track progress.

Results vary by patient, but most Santa Barbara providers report 6–18 months of sustained benefit from a full Breast Implant Removal series.

Five, and they are not equal. Rupture (silicone gel implants can rupture silently, which is why the FDA recommends periodic imaging). Capsular contracture, where the scar capsule tightens and hardens the breast; grades III and IV may need reoperation. Age of the implant: the FDA's boxed warning says implants are not lifetime devices and complications rise the longer they are in, so many women choose removal rather than a second exchange. BIA-ALCL, a rare lymphoma of the immune system seen more often with textured implants, where removal of implant and capsule is the treatment. And systemic symptoms, often called breast implant illness: fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, rash, which the FDA says may be associated with implants and which some women report reverse after removal.

Usually not, and you should be wary of a surgeon who insists on it as a rule. En bloc means removing the implant and the whole scar capsule in one intact piece. It is the right operation for a confirmed BIA-ALCL and it may be reasonable for a ruptured silicone implant. For systemic symptoms, the best data available, 150 women in the ASERF study followed for a year, found symptom improvement did not differ by capsulectomy type, some women resolved fully with no total capsulectomy at all, and the authors concluded the data do not support requiring en bloc removal. En bloc is a longer, bloodier operation with more risk to the chest wall and a higher chance of needing drains, and it is often what makes an explant quote $15,000 instead of $7,000.

The FDA says removal without replacement is reported to reverse symptoms in some cases, and many women describe feeling better. What the evidence cannot yet tell you is why, or how reliably. A systematic review of 2,280 patients across 20 publications found moderate improvement for systemic symptoms, much larger improvement where there was an organic problem such as a granuloma, and called the literature heterogeneous and observational rather than causative. An honest surgeon will say: removal is reasonable if you want the implants out, many women improve, and no one can promise it. A surgeon who promises a cure, or who prescribes en bloc removal as the only path to one, is selling.

It depends on how much natural breast tissue you have, how large the implants were, how long they were in, and your skin. Small implants in a woman with good tissue often leave a natural result on their own. Large or long-term implants usually leave loose, deflated skin, and a lift (mastopexy) at the same time or a few months later is what restores shape. Fat transfer from the abdomen or thighs can restore some volume without a new implant. A surgeon should show you explant-only, explant-plus-lift and explant-plus-fat-transfer results on breasts like yours before you choose.

Implant removal alone runs $5,000 to $8,000 in the US. Removal with total or en bloc capsulectomy runs $8,000 to $15,000. Adding a lift adds $4,000 to $8,000; fat transfer $3,000 to $8,000; replacement implants the cost of a new augmentation. Insurance sometimes covers removal for a ruptured silicone implant, severe contracture, or BIA-ALCL, and rarely for systemic symptoms; ask the office to check before you assume either way. Canadian prices track similar figures.

One to two weeks off work, four to six weeks off lifting and exercise, a surgical bra throughout. Drains for up to a week are common when the capsule is removed. Soreness is usually less than after the original augmentation. Numbness and shape changes settle over three to six months, which is why many surgeons wait that long before deciding whether a lift is needed if it was not done at the same time.

Bleeding, infection, fluid collection, changes in nipple sensation, asymmetry and dissatisfaction with shape are the main ones, and they rise with capsulectomy, especially en bloc removal of a thin capsule stuck to the chest wall, where the risk of entering the chest cavity is real. Anesthesia risks apply. If a lift is added, its scars and risks apply too. Choose a board-certified plastic surgeon who does these regularly and ask how they decide, case by case, whether and how much capsule to remove.