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Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Breast Implant Revision Surgery

Posted On: July 31, 2026 Author: The Office of Dr. Stuart Linder Posted In: Breast Revision

Woman covering her breast with her hands

Breast implant revision surgery is a surgical procedure in which I redo or reconstruct an initial breast augmentation surgery or breast reconstruction surgery. It may be performed after elective cosmetic breast enhancement surgery, breast reconstruction surgery due to cancer, or a previous breast revision operation.

The term breast revision surgery indicates that you are having a secondary procedure after an original procedure involving breast implant placement. Depending on your needs, I may perform multiple procedures during the same operation. This blog will discuss the most common questions I get from patients considering breast implant revision surgery.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Breast Implant Revision Surgery?

During breast implant revision surgery, I may perform an open capsulectomy, open capsulotomy, breast implant removal and replacement, or explantation of the implants.

I may also perform a breast lift or breast reduction during the same operation. In some cases, I may use an ADM graft or internal mesh, including GallaFLEX.

2. What Are the Most Common Reasons for Breast Revision Surgery?

The most common reasons I perform breast implant revision include dissatisfaction with the results for aesthetic, functional, or reconstructive purposes.

You may be dissatisfied with your breast shape or volume because your current breast implants are too small or too large. You may also have skin laxity or looseness that requires a formal mastopexy, or breast lift, to repair the loose skin.

You may have fullness in the lateral breast with grade 3 skin ptosis. In this case, I may perform a breast reduction and remove tissue from the outer breast region.

Other reasons I may perform breast implant revision include:

  • Ruptured implants
  • Severe scar tissue
  • Baker Grade IV capsular contracture
  • Deflated saline implants
  • Ruptured silicone implants
  • Implant displacement or malposition
  • Implant rippling
  • Bottoming out
  • Dehiscence of the inframammary fold

When you have severe capsular contracture, I may perform an open capsulectomy, capsulotomy, and implant replacement. When you have a deflated saline implant or ruptured silicone implant, I may remove the implant, implant material, and scar tissue before reconstructing the breast. Patients typically benefit from routine ultrasound imaging or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor implant integrity.

If you have bottoming out associated with dehiscence of the inframammary fold, I may tighten the fold using capsular slings. I may also use GallaFLEX or ADM graft mesh to reinforce the inframammary folds.

3. How Can I Tell Whether I Need Breast Implant Revision Surgery?

Prior to your evaluation, you can normally determine whether you may need breast implant revision for cosmetic or functional purposes.

You may be dissatisfied with the appearance of your breasts because they are too large or too small. In these cases, I may decrease or increase the volume of your implants.

Severe scar tissue, including Baker Grade III or IV capsular contracture, may be associated with:

  • Disfigurement of the breast
  • Pain
  • Hardness
  • Implant malposition
  • Thickening around the implant

When my patients have pain, I often find increased hardening around the implant, thickening of the pectoralis major muscle, or hardening of a subglandular implant pocket. A clinical examination may be all I need to determine Baker Grade IV hardening because of the disfigurement and pain during clinical palpation of the breast.

4. How Soon After My Original Breast Augmentation Procedure Can I Have Revision Surgery?

For my patients, the standard of care is normally to wait a minimum of three months. Some surgeons may wait six months to one year post-operatively to allow everything to heal, swelling and edema to resolve, and the final volume and size to be determined. 

When you have a severe issue, including severe pain and capsular contracture, it may be prudent to have breast implant revision surgery after three months. However, if you experience redness, infection, or bleeding soon after breast augmentation, you may need immediate urgent surgery to correct these acute problems.

5. Can I Change the Size and Type of My Implants During Revision Surgery?

Yes. During your secondary operation, I can increase or decrease the size of your existing implants, depending on the available tissue. I may also use saline or silicone implants during breast implant revision surgery.

When you want to increase the size of your implants, it is important that you have ample breast tissue and muscle to accommodate the larger implant. This is particularly important when I use a submuscular or dual-plane technique.

As a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in breast surgery, I determine what implant size is reasonable when you want to go larger or smaller. However, downsizing may require a breast lift or mastopexy at the same time to reduce the skin laxity or looseness associated with the smaller implant size.

6. Can Breast Implant Revision Correct Implant Shifting or Breast Asymmetry?

Yes. I can correct asymmetry during breast implant revision surgery by using different implant sizes. I may also perform a breast lift or lateral breast reduction to regain symmetry.

I perform these procedures every week in my Beverly Hills practice. I use different-volume saline and silicone implants and improve breast symmetry by performing a breast reduction on the larger breast when necessary.

7. Will the Scar Tissue Capsule Around My Implant Need to Be Removed?

When you have severe scar tissue, I normally remove it during breast implant revision surgery, especially when you have textured implants from Allergan.

I may perform a total capsulectomy, including removing scar tissue from the chest wall or the periosteum of the rib cage.

8. Will I Need a Breast Lift With My Implant Revision?

I often perform a breast lift when a patient is downsizing because of skin laxity and grade 3 ptosis. You may also need a breast lift if I remove your implants and do not place new implants. In this situation, you may have significant redundant skin and looseness.

When you have grade 3 ptosis, I may perform a formal mastopexy using the inferior pedicle Wise-pattern technique.

9. What Is Recovery Like After Breast Implant Revision Surgery?

Normally, I find that recovery from breast implant revision surgery is not quite as painful as recovery from the primary breast augmentation. Your subpectoral pocket is already present, so I do not need to recreate it. I may only need to open the pocket and remove scar tissue as necessary.

The majority of my patients have stated that they experienced much less pain or minimal pain and discomfort during the post-operative revision period compared with their primary dual-plane or subpectoral augmentation. The primary augmentation is often more painful because I must create the original implant pocket.

10. Could I Need Another Breast Implant Revision?

My patients may require breast implant revision surgery 10 to 15 years post-operatively. However, in some cases, this can extend to 20 years or longer. The timing may depend on whether you develop pain, hardening, or scar tissue.

You may need multiple revisions over the years. This may be associated with capsular contracture or ruptured implants. Trauma to the breast may lead to a capsular tear and further scar tissue formation after a seroma resolves within the breast, causing the implant to leak into the surrounding tissue. In this case, I may perform an open capsulectomy and remove and replace the implant to regain symmetry and decrease or alleviate pain within the breast.

Schedule a Breast Implant Revision Consultation with Dr. Stuart Linder in Beverly Hills, CA

If you are considering breast revision surgery in Beverly Hills, CA, schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Stuart Linder. He specializes in breast surgery and has earned national recognition for his expertise and meticulous surgical technique. Dr. Linder and his team evaluate each patient individually and develop customized treatment plans that complement your body proportions. 

Contact Dr. Stuart Linder’s office today by calling (310) 275-4813 or completing the contact form to discuss your goals.