Breast Implant
Removal & Explant
Removal of breast implants in Austin, performed by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Andre Levesque — with options from a low-cost in-office removal to full capsulectomy, guided by the science, not sales.
Breast implant removal, on your terms
Choosing to remove your breast implants is a personal decision, and there is no single “right” way to do it. Dr. Andre Levesque, a board-certified plastic surgeon, offers the full range — from a straightforward, low-cost in-office removal under local anesthesia to a complete capsulectomy in the operating room — and helps you choose based on your reason for removal and the science, not a sales pitch.
Our approach follows the guidance of The Aesthetic Society: you deserve an educated, evidence-based choice about removal — with or without capsulectomy — with the risks and benefits fully explained.
Why women remove their implants
You no longer want the size
Goals and lifestyle change. Many women simply want to go smaller or return to a natural shape — for comfort, athletics, or preference — and choose removal without replacing.
To preview before a lift
Not sure whether you want a lift or new implants? We can remove the implants so you can see your natural shape first. With saline implants, Dr. Levesque can intentionally deflate them in the office, let the tissue settle for a few weeks, then plan your revision or lift around your true deflated shape.
A ruptured implant
Saline ruptures deflate visibly and the saline is harmlessly absorbed; silicone can rupture “silently” and is often found on imaging. A ruptured implant is removed and either replaced or explanted.
Capsular contracture
When the scar capsule tightens, the breast can feel firm, look distorted, or become uncomfortable. Removal — with the appropriate capsule treatment — addresses it. Learn more about capsular contracture →
Breast implant illness & explantation
Some women choose removal because they associate systemic symptoms — fatigue, brain fog, joint aches, and others — with their implants, often called breast implant illness (BII). We think it’s important to be straight with you about what is, and isn’t, established — using research from The Aesthetic Society and its Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
The Aesthetic Society describes BII as a set of self-reported symptoms in a minority of women with implants, without abnormal physical or laboratory findings to explain them. It is a diagnosis of exclusion — other causes should be ruled out with a proper medical evaluation before surgery.
Encouragingly, a systematic review in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal found that most patients — roughly 83% across nine studies — reported symptom improvement after explantation. The Society’s research foundation (ASERF) ran a prospective Systemic Symptoms in Women study and found measurable improvement after removal — and, importantly, that improvement was not dependent on the type or extent of capsulectomy. Symptom improvement has even been shown after explantation with no capsulectomy at all.
The practical takeaway: more aggressive surgery is not automatically better for symptoms. That lets us choose the least-invasive option that fits your situation — sometimes as simple as removing the implants.
Types of capsule surgery
When implants are removed, the scar-tissue “capsule” around them can be left in place or removed to varying degrees. Dr. Levesque chooses the right approach for your capsule, your implants, and your goals, following the Aesthetic Society consensus definitions.
Implant removal alone
The implant is removed and a thin, healthy capsule is left in place for your body to reabsorb over time. The simplest option — and what makes in-office removal under local anesthesia possible for the right candidate.
Partial (selective) capsulectomy
Only part of the capsule is removed — for example thickened or calcified areas — while capsule lying over important structures like the ribs or major vessels is left to avoid added risk.
Total capsulectomy
The entire capsule is removed, with the implant taken out separately. Often the right choice for significant capsular contracture or a thickened, calcified capsule.
En bloc capsulectomy
The implant and the surrounding capsule are removed together as one intact, unopened unit. This is specifically indicated when a cancer such as BIA-ALCL is suspected or confirmed — it is more involved and is not required for most routine removals.
In-office removal under local anesthesia
If you just want them out
For the right candidate — someone who wants their implants removed (not a lift, and not a complex capsulectomy) and who has smooth implants — Dr. Levesque can often perform the removal in the office under local anesthesia, wide-awake. Smooth implants release more readily than textured ones, which makes this possible.
Because there is no facility fee and no anesthesia fee, this option is dramatically less expensive than an operating-room procedure — and it fits Dr. Levesque’s focus on safe, wide-awake surgery under local anesthesia.
Cases that need a total or en bloc capsulectomy, involve textured implants, or require work-up for possible malignancy are performed in the operating room, where that can be done safely.
What to expect
The procedure
In-office removal alone is quick and wide-awake; OR-based removal with capsulectomy is done under sedation or general anesthesia. Either way, most patients go home the same day.
First week
Expect soreness, swelling, and a supportive garment. Many patients return to desk work within about a week; more extensive capsule surgery takes a little longer.
Settling
Your breasts soften and settle over the following weeks. If you deflated saline implants to preview, we plan any lift or revision once the shape has stabilized.
Pricing
Cost depends on the approach: in-office removal under local anesthesia is far less than an operating-room removal with capsulectomy, because there’s no facility or anesthesia fee. Dr. Levesque gives you a transparent, itemized quote at your consultation. We perform explant as a self-pay procedure and don’t bill medical insurance; financing is available through CareCredit, Alphaeon, Cherry, and PatientFi. If you’re considering a lift or new implants, see breast revision.
Removal, tailored to your goals
Implant removal (explant) isn’t one operation — it’s a set of choices made with you. Some patients simply want the implants out; others need the surrounding scar-tissue capsule addressed as well, ranging from partial removal to a full capsulectomy, and in select cases an en-bloc removal that takes the implant and capsule together. Depending on your tissue and wishes, removal can be combined with a breast lift to restore shape, or with an implant exchange if you’d like to stay augmented with a different size or type. Dr. Levesque will walk through what each approach involves and what’s realistic for your anatomy.
- Explant alone, or with capsulectomy (partial, total, or en-bloc)
- Removal paired with a breast lift to restore shape
- Implant exchange for a new size or type
- Fat transfer for gentle, natural volume
Patients choose removal for many reasons — a desire to return to a more natural look, capsular contracture (firmness or distortion), implant rupture or age, discomfort, or health concerns sometimes described as breast implant illness. Recovery is generally more comfortable than the original augmentation, with some swelling and a short period of limited activity in a support garment; more extensive capsule work or an added lift lengthens recovery modestly. Your final appearance depends on your tissue, how long the implants were in place, and whether a lift is performed.
Frequently asked questions
- The Aesthetic Society — Breast Implant Resources & BII guidance
- Consensus Statement on Breast Implant Capsulectomy Definitions
- Breast Implant Illness as a Clinical Entity: A Systematic Review (Aesthetic Surgery Journal)
- ASERF Systemic Symptoms in Women — Impact of Capsulectomy Type (Part 1)
- Symptom Improvement After Explantation With No Capsulectomy (Aesthetic Surgery Journal)