REMOVAL IS ONLY THE FIRST DECISION
What Is Breast Implant Removal?
Breast implant removal, also called explant surgery, removes one or both breast implants. The operation may involve the implant alone or selected capsule tissue; the appropriate extent depends on why removal is being considered and what Dr. Howarth finds.
The breast may look and feel different afterward. Implant size, starting breast tissue, skin, position, asymmetry, and prior surgery all shape the discussion about removal alone or separate contour planning.
This page focuses on explant-first decisions. Breast Revision covers broader corrective planning; Breast Implant Illness focuses on systemic symptoms and their evaluation without assuming a single cause; and Complex Breast Revision addresses structurally difficult or multiply operated cases.
PERSONAL REASONS. INDIVIDUAL PLANS.
Why Women Consider Explant Surgery
Some women no longer want implants. Others have a device, capsule, shape, comfort, or systemic-symptom concern they want to understand. An evaluation does not obligate you to remove or replace an implant; it clarifies what each path may mean.
- Prefer less volume or no longer want implant maintenance
- Evaluate firmness, rupture, movement, rippling, visibility, or another implant concern
- Understand pain, asymmetry, contour change, or breast-position concerns
- Discuss systemic symptoms with evidence-aware expectations and no assumed cause
- Consider removal alone, capsule surgery, replacement, reshaping, or observation
The goal is a reasoned plan—not assuming every patient needs the same extent of surgery.
START WITH THE REASON FOR REMOVAL
Breast Implant Removal Candidacy, Alternatives, and Consultation
During consultation, Dr. Howarth reviews the prior operation, implant information, symptoms, relevant imaging, breast position, skin, tissue, scars, capsule, asymmetry, health history, and goals. Operative reports and implant device cards are helpful when available.
Evaluation clarifies the reason for removal, whether capsule surgery has a specific indication, and what the breast may look like afterward. The discussion may include removal alone, partial or complete capsule removal, implant exchange, breast lift, fat transfer, or a staged plan when appropriate.
When Surgery May Not Be the Right Choice
The purpose of consultation is to identify the most appropriate next step—not to presume that an operation is needed. Dr. Howarth may recommend waiting, further evaluation, a different setting or approach, nonsurgical care, or no surgery when that is the more appropriate recommendation.
PERSONAL DECISIONS. THOUGHTFUL CARE.
Privacy During Breast Surgery Consultation and Care
Questions about breast surgery can feel personal. When you contact us, you can tell us whether you prefer a call or text. Your consultation with Dr. Howarth is a thoughtful conversation about your anatomy, concerns, and goals.
A PLAN BASED ON THE FINDINGS
Choosing a Breast Implant Removal Surgeon: Why Dr. Howarth
Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS, is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Scottsdale, a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, an Instructor in Plastic Surgery at Mayo Clinic, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Her background includes nine years of formal surgical training in general, plastic, and reconstructive surgery.
A thoughtful explant consultation considers the implant, capsule, tissue, skin, symptoms, and likely breast shape afterward. It should not assume every capsule requires removal or that a more extensive operation is automatically better.
Your consultation should leave you understanding the findings, the extent Dr. Howarth recommends, realistic shape considerations, and when removal alone, separate contour work, or no surgery may be reasonable.
Dr. Howarth participates in the National Breast Implant Registry (NBIR), the national device-safety registry maintained by The Plastic Surgery Foundation.
PLASTIC SURGERY
OF SURGEONS
SCOTTSDALE · MODERN OFFICE SETTING
FROM CONSULTATION TO CONFIDENCE
Breast Implant Removal Consultation and Patient Care Coordination
From your first inquiry, your patient care coordinator helps organize scheduling, records, estimates, financing, forms, travel, and follow-up logistics. Dr. Howarth and her clinical team answer medical questions and make all clinical recommendations.
A thoughtful beginning.
Your patient care coordinator can arrange an in-person or virtual consultation and explain which operative reports, device cards, photographs, or imaging to have ready. An in-person examination is completed before the operative plan is finalized.
Clear information before you decide.
After Dr. Howarth recommends a plan, your patient care coordinator can review the written estimate, available financing options, scheduling requirements, forms, and next steps. The estimate reflects the actual implant, capsule, and contour plan.
Practical details, clearly organized.
If you are traveling to Scottsdale, your coordinator can help align required visits and planning for consultation, surgery, and follow-up. Dr. Howarth and her clinical team provide individualized medical and recovery guidance.
CAPSULE TERMS, CLEARLY EXPLAINED
What Breast Implant Removal May Involve
Implant Removal Alone
The implant is removed while some or all capsule tissue remains when further removal is not indicated.
Partial Capsulectomy
Selected capsule tissue is removed when the findings support a focused extent of additional dissection.
Total or Total-intact
The complete capsule may be removed, either in pieces or intact, when the indication and anatomy support it.
Shape after Removal
Lift, reshaping, or fat transfer may be discussed separately when position, skin, volume, or contour also matters.
A PLAN MATCHED TO THE FINDINGS
What Happens on the Day of Breast Implant Removal
The setting, anesthesia, operative sequence, and discharge plan are selected for the complete operation and your health profile. Dr. Howarth reviews the implant, capsule plan, contour considerations, and any decisions that depend on operative findings before surgery begins.
The plan, confirmed.
The team reviews the implant, planned capsule extent, incision considerations, preparation, safety information, transportation, and remaining questions.
Care follows the findings.
The implant is removed and capsule or contour work follows the agreed plan, anatomy, indication, and operative findings.
Instructions match the operation.
Before discharge, the team reviews medications, support, activity, follow-up, warning signs, and how to contact the practice.
INFORMED WITHOUT ALARM
Breast Implant Removal Safety, Risks, and Limitations
Breast implant removal has general surgical risks and considerations related to prior surgery, implant findings, capsule dissection, and existing tissue. Dr. Howarth reviews how your health, implant and capsule findings, skin, tissue, scars, nicotine exposure, medications, and proposed operation affect individual risk.
Removal changes volume but cannot guarantee a particular breast shape, complete pain relief, or improvement in systemic symptoms. Skin may not retract completely, asymmetry or contour differences may remain, and additional or staged surgery may be appropriate for some patients.
“En bloc” is cancer-specific terminology. [1] The Breast Surgery Collaborative Community consensus defines en bloc capsulectomy as capsule removal with a margin of uninvolved tissue for suspected or established implant-associated cancer after appropriate workup. It is not a synonym for routine explant surgery.
Possible Complications Include
- Bleeding, infection, fluid collection, or delayed healing
- Widened, raised, or otherwise unfavorable scars
- Temporary or lasting breast or nipple sensation changes
- Persistent pain, asymmetry, indentation, or contour irregularity
- Tissue injury related to capsule dissection or prior surgery
- Additional treatment, staged surgery, or another operation
What Removal Cannot Guarantee
- A particular breast shape or exact symmetry after volume loss
- Complete pain relief or improvement in systemic symptoms
- That skin will fully retract or contour differences will disappear
- Invisible scars or breast tissue unaffected by prior surgery
- That another procedure will never be considered in the future
HEALING FOLLOWS THE COMPLETE OPERATION
Breast Implant Removal Recovery
Removal alone and surgery involving capsule dissection or separate reshaping do not follow identical recovery paths. The stages below are a general overview rather than a schedule; your instructions reflect the operation actually performed.
Early care may include dressings, support, medication guidance, incision care, gentle movement, and follow-up based on the operation.
Work, driving, caregiving, and travel return according to surgical extent, daily demands, comfort, and individual healing.
Lifting, impact, upper-body exercise, and strenuous activity resume after healing progresses and the clinical team provides guidance.
Breast tissue, skin, and scars continue to settle over time; volume loss or contour differences may remain.
BEFORE & AFTER GALLERIES
Private Breast Implant Removal Before & After Gallery
Breast Implant Removal before-and-after photographs can feel deeply personal. As both a woman and a surgeon, Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS, understands the trust involved in sharing them. Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale makes galleries of real patient results available by request through private before-and-after reviews.
Keeping breast implant removal before-and-after galleries off unrestricted public pages helps preserve patient dignity and clinical context while limiting casual viewing, unauthorized reposting, and collection by automated systems or AI agents.
During your private before-and-after review, you can see a range of breast implant removal results and discuss how starting anatomy, surgical choices, healing, and time influenced each outcome. These photographs can support an informed consultation, but individual results vary, and no image can predict your outcome.
PATIENT CASE SUMMARIES
Selected Breast Implant Removal Case Summaries
These deidentified case summaries illustrate how Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS, evaluates breast implant removal at Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, Arizona. They address intact implants, rupture, capsular contracture, post-explant shape, capsule management, and observation. To protect patient privacy, some nonclinical identifying details have been generalized or modified. Individual anatomy, procedures, healing, and results vary.
Case 01
Elective explant
Intact implants were removed after the patient no longer wanted added volume
Patient presentation
The patient had no known complication but wanted smaller breasts and understood shape could change after removal.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth reviewed implant records, tissue, skin laxity, nipple position, capsule findings, imaging needs, and lift preferences.
Procedure performed
Implants were removed without replacement, with capsule management based on findings and indication.
Clinical rationale
Implant removal and capsulectomy are separate decisions governed by symptoms, integrity, anatomy, and safety.
Follow-up
Follow-up evaluated healing, settling, breast shape, and interest in later reshaping.
Case 02
Implant rupture
Imaging evidence of implant rupture led to removal and capsule evaluation
Patient presentation
The patient presented after imaging raised concern for rupture and asked about removal, replacement, and the capsule.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth reviewed imaging, implant history and type, symptoms, capsule, coverage, and future-volume goals.
Procedure performed
The ruptured implant was removed and the pocket and capsule were treated according to findings and the operative plan.
Clinical rationale
Rupture management depends on device type, findings, symptoms, capsule condition, and replacement preference.
Follow-up
Care assessed healing, contour, surveillance needs, and adaptation to the selected plan.
Case 03
Capsular contracture
A firm and distorted breast required implant removal with capsule treatment
Patient presentation
The patient reported progressive firmness, discomfort, and shape change around a prior implant.
Clinical evaluation
Examination assessed implant position, firmness, distortion, coverage, asymmetry, imaging needs, and other pain sources.
Procedure performed
The implant was removed and the involved capsule treated, with replacement guided by goals and tissue condition.
Clinical rationale
Treatment addressed the abnormal scar capsule and associated implant distortion.
Follow-up
Follow-up monitored healing, softness, shape, implant position when applicable, and recurrent symptoms.
Case 04
Explant and lift
Implant removal and loose skin required a separate breast-shape decision
Patient presentation
The patient wanted explantation but worried about stretched skin and low nipple position afterward.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth evaluated implant size, native volume, elasticity, nipple position, capsule, scars, and lift safety.
Procedure performed
Implant removal and mastopexy were performed with coordinated capsule, tissue, skin, and nipple planning.
Clinical rationale
Explantation decreases volume but does not tighten a stretched skin envelope.
Follow-up
Follow-up evaluated healing, position, settling, and scars without implants.
Case 05
Capsule decision
A request for en bloc removal was reframed around the clinical indication
Patient presentation
The patient requested implant and capsule removal as one intact unit after researching the term online.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth reviewed integrity, symptoms, imaging, capsule findings, records, anatomy, and dissection risk.
Procedure performed
Implant removal used a capsulectomy method and extent supported by the findings rather than a predetermined term.
Clinical rationale
En bloc removal has a specific oncologic meaning and is not automatically required for routine explantation.
Follow-up
Review covered healing, pathology when obtained, breast shape, and operative findings.
Case 06
Observation
Immediate implant removal was not recommended after reassuring evaluation
Patient presentation
The patient was worried about complications but had no clear implant-related symptom or known imaging abnormality.
Clinical evaluation
Dr. Howarth reviewed implant history, surveillance, examination, symptoms, imaging, and reasons for surgery.
Recommendation
Immediate explant was not recommended; continued surveillance and reassessment for new findings or changed preferences were advised.
Clinical rationale
Surgery creates scars, contour change, and risk without an operative indication.
Follow-up
The patient received monitoring guidance and retained the option of future elective removal.
PLANNING WITH CLARITY
Breast Implant Removal Cost, Financing, and Travel to Scottsdale
Breast Implant Removal Cost
At Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, breast implant removal typically costs $11,300 to $35,000. The lower end reflects implant removal alone; capsulectomy is currently $13,200, and plans that add a breast lift or fat transfer fall toward the higher end. After consultation with Dr. Howarth, you will receive a personalized written estimate for the plan she recommends.
Financing Options
Howarth Plastic Surgery is a cash-pay practice and does not accept or bill insurance. Your patient care coordinator can review financing through PatientFi and CareCredit, subject to third-party approval.
Planning Care in Scottsdale
If you are traveling from elsewhere in Arizona or out of state, out-of-town patient information can help you plan around consultation, surgery, and follow-up. Required appointment dates, how long to remain nearby, and when travel may resume are individualized. An initial consultation may take place virtually, but an in-person examination is required before the operative plan is finalized.
QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
Breast Implant Removal Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The capsule, skin, breast position, tissue, asymmetry, and goals help frame whether removal alone or separate shape planning makes sense.
Not always. The appropriate extent depends on the implant, capsule, findings, reason for surgery, anatomy, and risks of added dissection. Complete removal is not automatically better.
Total-intact capsulectomy removes the complete capsule as one unit. True en bloc surgery also includes a margin of uninvolved tissue for suspected or established implant-associated cancer after appropriate medical workup.
Not necessarily. Skin, tissue, position, implant size, and goals shape that decision. Breast Lift and Fat Transfer to the Breast explain those separate considerations.
Some patients report improvement after implant removal, while others continue to have symptoms. Improvement cannot be guaranteed, and available evidence has not shown that improvement depends on the capsulectomy type. Breast Implant Illness provides the fuller evidence discussion.
Sometimes. Capsule work, rupture, reshaping, or a lift may require another or longer incision. Expected scars are discussed before surgery.
The result depends on implant size, skin, tissue, capsule, asymmetry, position, and any added procedure. Volume loss, laxity, indentation, or shape change may remain.
Examination and appropriate imaging help define the implant and surrounding findings. Rupture can change the recommended implant-removal, capsule, and surrounding-tissue plan.
Implant removal centers on explant-first decisions. Breast Revision addresses broader implant, pocket, capsule, tissue, position, and scar concerns when removal is not necessarily the primary goal.
Recovery follows surgical extent. Removal alone differs from capsule dissection or separate reshaping. Work, exercise, and travel guidance are individualized.
At Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, breast implant removal typically costs $11,300 to $35,000. The lower end reflects implant removal alone; capsulectomy is currently $13,200, and plans that add a breast lift or fat transfer fall toward the higher end. After consultation with Dr. Howarth, you will receive a personalized written estimate for the plan she recommends.
Travel may be possible when records, consultation, surgery, and follow-up can be coordinated safely. Begin with the Out-of-Town Patient guide and your patient care coordinator.
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