Simple explant
The implant is removed through the same scar as the original augmentation, leaving no new marks.
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Breast surgery
Breast implant removal with reshaping of the breast, by Dr. César Padilla at Quirónsalud Málaga Hospital.
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Breast implant removal
Why remove them
Removing implants is not going backwards: it is a considered decision that more and more women are taking, for very different reasons. Over the years, some women feel their implants no longer fit their body or their lifestyle, and want to recover a lighter feel and a more natural look.
At other times the reason is medical: a rupture or a capsular contracture — the capsule the body forms around the implant hardens and can hurt or distort the breast — makes removal the necessary answer. And some patients associate general symptoms with their implants and decide that removing them is their route to peace of mind: here they will find an attentive ear and impeccable surgical technique, with no judgement.
The key point: implants are not for life, and removing them properly is not just “taking material out”, but reshaping the breast so the result looks good in its own right. If your implants are already many years old, this article by Dr. Padilla is worth reading: displaced, rotated or damaged breast implants.
Breast Implant Removal in Málaga
Deciding to remove breast implants is an important step that calls for a surgeon experienced in both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery. Dr. César Padilla, Head of Plastic Surgery at Quirón Málaga Hospital, approaches explant surgery not merely as the extraction of a material, but as a process of rejuvenating and fully restoring the breast.
Techniques
The implant is removed through the same scar as the original augmentation, leaving no new marks.
The implant is removed together with the whole capsule the body formed around it. Essential where there is rupture or contracture, so the tissue is left clean and healthy.
If removing the volume leaves excess skin, a lift is added to reshape the breast in the same operation.
Fat transfer replaces part of the implant volume with your own tissue: a smaller breast, but one with shape and a natural feel.
We set out a safety protocol and an aesthetic plan to make sure your transition back to a natural breast is a complete success.
As the years pass, many women feel their implants no longer fit their current lifestyle or their new silhouette. Removal restores physical lightness and a look more in keeping with a mature body, doing away with the sensation of carrying a foreign object.
If the implant has ruptured or the capsule around it has hardened (causing pain or distortion), removal is the necessary medical answer. Dr. Padilla performs a total capsulectomy, taking out not only the implant but also the hardened scar tissue, to safeguard the health of the breast tissue.
Implants are not for life. Many patients prefer to remove them for good before complications arise from the ageing of the material, choosing instead a permanent solution based on their own fatty tissue.
Some patients associate general symptoms with their implants. Although it is a complex subject, Dr. Padilla offers an attentive ear and impeccable surgical technique to those women who decide that removal is their route to peace of mind and personal wellbeing.
Before surgery
The assessment begins with the condition of the implant and the capsule — with whatever imaging is indicated if rupture is suspected — and moves on to what matters most: the result you are hoping for. You will see realistically how your breast can look given the tissue you have, and whether it is worth adding a lift or fat transfer.
The rest is the usual protocol: medication reviewed (antiplatelets and anticoagulants are paused beforehand, always together with your doctor), smoking stopped, and a pre-operative workup at Quirónsalud Málaga Hospital including an anaesthetic assessment.
Aftercare
Because volume is being taken away rather than added, recovery tends to be easier than after an augmentation. Here is a realistic timeline.
Mild discomfort, controlled with pain relief. Post-operative bra from the outset.
In around 7 days you are back to almost normal life, with review appointments to follow your progress.
No strenuous physical activity until the month is up. The breast gradually settles into its new shape without the implant.
The tissue settles and, if fat transfer was used, the grafted fat shows the definitive result.
Scars
Wherever possible we use the same scar you already have from your augmentation: no new marks. If a lift is added, the scar will be periareolar or vertical, always aiming for the smallest possible trace.
Surgical honesty
The implant volume is lost, yes, but glandular reshaping and your own fat produce a smaller breast with a pleasing, natural shape. Removing implants does not mean ending up flat.
The existing ones are reused and looked after as they heal, but the marks from the original augmentation do not disappear.
Other than rupture or symptomatic contracture, removal is scheduled calmly. Deciding well matters more than deciding quickly.
Removing implants today does not stop you rebuilding volume tomorrow with your own fat if you change your mind. Your breast remains yours.
Patient information
Every operation carries risks and this one is no exception. You will go through them in detail at your consultation and in writing in the informed consent form; this is the honest summary.
Expected, not a complication
Uncommon
Where there is rupture or contracture, total capsulectomy is the safe route: leaving diseased capsular tissue behind is not an option. That is the standard in this practice.
Hospital
Consultation, surgery and post-operative follow-up in a leading centre: state-of-the-art operating theatres, intensive care and a private room.
12
Operating theatres
24 h
A&E and intensive care
100 %
Private room
Price
The quote is tailored to you and includes the operating theatre, anaesthesia, your stay at Quirónsalud Málaga, dressings and review appointments. What affects it most: whether a capsulectomía total, whether a breast lift is added, and whether fat transfer from your own fat is included.
About special offers. You will see plenty of them, and it is worth saying plainly: first inform yourself and choose your surgeon, then ask about prices. Not the other way round.
FAQS
Once the implant is out, the breast always loses volume, but Dr. Padilla uses glandular reshaping techniques and, if you wish, fat transfer (your own fat) so the result is a smaller breast with a pleasing, natural shape.
It is the procedure in which we remove the implant together with the entire capsule (the internal lining the body creates around the foreign object). It is essential where there is rupture or contracture, so the tissue is left clean and healthy.
Normally Dr. Padilla uses the same scar you already had from your augmentation. If an associated lift (mastopexy) is performed, the scar may be periareolar or vertical, always aiming for the smallest possible mark.
As this is surgery in which we take volume away rather than add it, recovery is usually less painful than after an augmentation. Within 7 days you can lead an almost normal life, avoiding strenuous physical activity for a month.
A confirmed rupture is an indication for removal, but in most cases it is scheduled calmly, without drama: what matters is doing it properly, with a total capsulectomy and a clear plan for the shape of the resulting breast.
Yes, it is one of the most requested options: fat transfer restores part of the volume using your own tissue. The result is more understated than with implants, but completely natural and permanent.
The anaesthetic protocol is decided at your consultation, with an assessment by the anaesthetics department at Quirónsalud Málaga Hospital as part of the pre-operative workup.
Content reviewed by
Dr. César Padilla
Specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Member of the Spanish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (SECPRE)
15+ years of practice · Quirónsalud Málaga Hospital
Last content review: August 2026
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