Breast Implant Removal & Exchange
in Ridgefield

Breast Implant Removal & Exchange in Ridgefield

Our Ridgefield clinic is at 605 Broad Ave, Ridgefield, NJ 07657, and it is where your consultation, your procedure and your follow-ups all happen — you are not consulted in one place and operated on in another. Consultations are free, run in English or Spanish, and end with a written quote rather than a range. Patients travelling in for breast implant removal & exchange should plan to stay locally for the first night or two rather than fly home the same day, and to be back at the clinic for their early follow-up. We also operate in Fair Lawn, so if another address in New Jersey is an easier drive, the same procedure is available there at the same price. Whichever clinic you choose, the surgeon is licensed in that state and the facility is accredited, and the practice responsible for your care is named in our terms rather than left vague.

What implant removal involves

Explant surgery removes breast implants, and depending on the situation, the capsule of scar tissue the body formed around them. Every implant has a capsule; it is a normal response, not a complication. The question is whether it needs to come out. Where the capsule is thickened, calcified, causing contracture, or where a silicone implant has ruptured, removing it is clearly indicated. Where it is thin, soft and healthy, removing it means a more invasive operation with more bleeding and more risk, for no established benefit. A good surgeon will explain which of those applies to you, based on examination and imaging, rather than applying one policy to everyone.

What happens to the shape

This is the part worth thinking hardest about. When an implant comes out, the breast is left with whatever tissue you have, on a skin envelope that has been stretched by the implant for years. Small implants removed from patients with plenty of their own tissue often settle well with nothing else done. Large implants, long-standing implants, or thin tissue can leave a breast that is noticeably smaller and sits lower. The options are to accept that, to add a lift so the tissue is repositioned on the chest, or to add fat transfer for modest volume. Deciding this before surgery, with photographs and a frank conversation, is what prevents disappointment.

Capsular contracture and rupture

Capsular contracture is the capsule tightening and squeezing the implant, making the breast firm, high, misshapen or painful. It is graded, and higher grades are a clear reason to operate; treatment is removal of the implant with the capsule. Rupture is different: silicone implants can rupture silently, which is why MRI or ultrasound surveillance is recommended, while saline implants deflate obviously. A ruptured silicone implant should be removed with its capsule to contain the material. If you have symptoms and have been dismissed elsewhere, imaging is the reasonable next step and your surgeon should order it rather than argue.

How the operation is done

Usually under general anesthesia in an accredited facility, taking one to three hours depending on whether the capsule is removed and whether a lift is added. Where possible the original incision is used, so no new scar is created. The implant is removed; the capsule is then either left, partially removed, or removed intact with the implant depending on its condition. If a lift is being performed at the same time, the breast tissue is repositioned and the skin envelope reduced to fit it. Drains are sometimes used. You go home in a supportive bra the same day.

Recovery, honestly

This is a gentler recovery than most breast surgery. Expect soreness, swelling and bruising for the first week, controlled with ordinary pain relief in most cases. Removal alone: back to desk work in a few days to a week, full exercise at three to four weeks. Removal with total capsulectomy or a lift: two weeks off, six weeks before full exercise. A supportive bra is worn for several weeks. Swelling settles over one to two months, and the final shape of your own tissue is not really apparent until around three months, when it has re-draped and settled.

What to expect emotionally

Patients frequently describe relief in the first days, followed by an adjustment period as they get used to a smaller breast. That adjustment is easier when the conversation happened beforehand: knowing you will be, say, a full cup smaller and that your breast may sit lower is very different from discovering it in the mirror. If restoring some volume matters to you, fat transfer can be staged later once things have settled, and there is no rush to decide it on the day. Patients who had implants removed for symptoms, contracture or rupture are, as a group, among the most satisfied in plastic surgery.

Cost, safety and choosing a surgeon

Implant removal at Goals starts at $10,000, confirmed at consultation, with a $500 deposit to reserve your date. Adding a lift, a capsulectomy or fat transfer changes the price and is agreed before you book. Risks include bleeding, infection, changes in nipple sensation, asymmetry and a shape you were not expecting — which is why the pre-operative conversation matters as much as the surgery. Ask your surgeon how they decide whether the capsule comes out, ask what they think your breast will look like afterwards, and ask to see photographs of removals in patients whose implants and tissue resembled yours.