FAQ: Breast Implant Removal

It will remove excessive skin and fat at the inferior (lower half) of your abdomen. It will also tighten the abdominal muscle to strengthen the weaken abdominal wall from pregnancy

There are general and local complications from the procedure. The general complication includes anesthesia risks, respiratory and airway risks such as pneumonia, aspiration, blood clots and pulmonary embolus. The local risks include infection, skin necrosis, scar

Weight loss, exercise and some non-invasive procedure such as RF, ultrasound and freezing device. None of these devices can give the procedure result comparable to the abdominoplasty procedure.

Liposuction and mini-abdominoplasty are procedure similar but usually give lesser result.

My usual procedure is a combination of liposuction tissue at the lateral portion of the abdominal incision and the epigastric region. The excessive abdominal panus (fat) is then removed and the abdominal wall muscle is then tightened. The abdominal wall is then closed.

This usually involves the right to the left anterior superior iliac spine over the pubic region.

You can see the surgical result the morning after the surgery. The final result usually takes 6 weeks to 6 months after surgery.

You can see pre and post-operative result in our office.

In my work, breast augmentation is one of the most popular procedures done and that includes replacements of implants, which requires the removal of the implant.

You can contact my office for an estimate cost. The actual cost will be discussed with you during the initial consultation after understanding your goal and after examination to decide the type of correction you need.

This surgery should take approximately 1 hour.

You will have compression dressing during your first 24 hours after surgery.

The swelling should settle within a few weeks.

In general the breasts should feel fairly normal within a few weeks to few months.

Most of our patients can breastfeed normally after surgery.

Breast implants can make it more difficult to read mammograms, therefore the patient may need to inform your doctor after the surgery.

Pain is usually very minimal after surgery. My patients usually do not need to take any narcotic after 72 hours.

Patients may take extra strength Tylenol, Tylenol 3, Percocet to help with the pain.

I do not usually use drain after breast augmentation.

Patients are recommended to wear loose clothing that will not compress or irritate the chest area.

The surgery is an outpatient procedure. Patients are kept in the clinic for a couple of hours until they have awoken from the surgery and are ready to leave.

Patients can return to their normal routine in a few days.

An anesthesiologist will be at the clinic to assist during the surgery and will evaluate your medical history before the surgery to determine any allergies or possible reactions to anesthesia. The anesthesiologist will discuss the possible options of anesthesia for you and address any concerns you may have.

I review all patient medications on initial consultation, pre-operative appointment and day of surgery.

In general, all medication that may cause bleeding or prolong bleeding time may need to be stopped or alter. One should not stop any medication without consulting with your family physician and the specialist that put you on these drugs.

For my patients, general lab tests such as CBC, electrolytes, liver function, INR, PTT, cardiogram are fairly routine, Other tests may be ordered if one has special medical condition.

You should not have anything to eat or drink 6 hours prior to the surgery.

We recommend that you arrive at time we have indicated during your pre-op appointment. We will also try you on your mobile phone if the time of surgery has been changed.

It can be found on my website, by calling or our mobile app.

Yes, patients should arrange for a drive home since they will be sedated during the surgery and will feel drowsy afterwards. It is not recommended for the patients to drive themselves home.

• Arrange for personal items you might need during your hospital stay
• Arrange for someone to take care of responsibilities at home and work
• Arrange for someone to take you home from the hospital
• Arrange for someone to stay with you the first night after surgery
• Call your doctor if you think of other questions
• Notify your doctor if you get sick within 10 days of your surgery (even minor illnesses like a cold)
• Stop eating and/or drinking as advised by your doctor
• Do not smoke or drink alcohol 24 hours before your surgery
• Make sure you have the doctor’s contact information
• Make sure you have directions to the hospital/office for visitors
• Wear a button-front shirt and loose clothing to the clinic/hospital

The surgery can vary from 1-3 hours.

They may need to wait an hour after surgery to see you.

If you are at risk for blood clots, medication will be provided for you after you discuss your concerns with your doctor.

Yes, patients are provided with antibiotics to take.

• Make sure your identity has been confirmed with name and date of birth
• Make sure your procedure has been confirmed
• Make sure the correct site of your surgery has been marked
• Make sure the correct side of your surgery has been marked
• Confirm any allergies and side-effects you might have
• Make sure you understand and have signed the informed consent forms

I usually talk to you in the recovery room as well as with one to two days after surgery in your postoperative visit to explain how your surgery went.

This depends on your medical conditions and I will discuss this with you at your preoperative consultation.

My usual protocol does not use drains, tubes or catheters because I use special closure technique to decrease the needs of these devices.

You can drink water and liquid shortly after the procedure.

My procedure is usually as an outpatient and you will be staying for a few hours after. I only let my patient go home if they are ready.

You need to meet all the discharge criteria before you can go home.

You will be given pain medication to take afterwards and I will inform you in more detail after the surgery.

You should have the medication filled before the day of surgery.

Any mediation that can cause bleeding or alternate your medical condition need to be stopped or changed before surgery. I will be discussing with you in detail at pre operative visit.

You should keep the area clean with minimal contact and avoid swimming.

You should remove the bandage dressing after 24 hours and after the removal of the dressing, it is encouraged that you start on stretching exercises.

You could shower after the bandage or dressing has been removed.

I usually like to see my patients the first one to two days after surgery.

Your bandages will be removed the next day after surgery.

The sutures will be removed 5 days post-operatively.

It is recommended that patients remain braless during the recovery process and if the patient wishes to wear a bra, they must make sure that the breast does not feel too tight.

You will be sore and in pain, it is suggested that patients rest the first day and continue to increase activity when the pain and soreness has subsided.

Patients can return to their normal routine in a few days and try to avoid any heavy lifting.

Patients can return to their normal routine in a few days and if you are not using narcotics.

Sexual activity can be resumed after 2-3 weeks and if the patient does not feel comfortable after the given time frame, they may prolong when to be sexually active again.

• You have a fever higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• You have shortness of breath or chest pain
• You notice increased redness, swelling, warmth, or pain around your surgical incision
• You notice that your incision is separating or you have infected discharge from your incision
• Your dressing is repeatedly soaked with blood
• You have pain that your existing pain medications cannot control

• Take pain and other medications as prescribed
• Do not drive when you are on prescription pain medications
• Do not soak in a bath or go swimming for ten days after your surgery
• Keep your incisions clean and dry
• Wear a special supportive bra as long as advised by your doctor
• Avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting as long as your doctor advises
• Follow your doctor’s instructions on resuming normal daily activities
• Follow your doctor’s instructions on resuming sexual activity
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