En bloc breast implant removal

What is en bloc capsulectomy?

En bloc is a French term that translates to “all together” or “as a whole.” An en bloc capsulectomy refers to a method of breast implant removal that removes the scar tissue capsule and the breast implant all at once, without opening the capsule. The goal is not to have any “spillage” of the implant or surrounding tissue into the breast pocket. This type of implant removal is performed for many reasons. Some include development of implant complications, aesthetics, and/or fear of the long-term safety of the implants.

IDEAL en bloc surgery patients

Theoretically, any woman who wants their breast implants removed are ideal en bloc surgery patients. With that said, en bloc is an invasive surgery and it’s important to perform it only in certain cases:

A woman with a ruptured silicone implant
Capsular contracture that has led to a hard capsule
Anyone with mysterious physical ailments that have no other explanation as to their cause

Considering there’s now a proven link between textured breast implants and ACL (a rare type of lymphoma), any woman with this type of implant, especially if they have been in place for many years, should go undergo a total capsulectomy (complete removal of the capsule) at the very least, and often we will perform an en-bloc resection for women with textured implants. Removing the implant and the capsule will essentially reduce the risk of developing ALCL to close to zero.

WHAT TO EXPECT

On average, the surgery takes about 2 hours to complete and is performed in our surgical facility or at the surgical hospital near our office. For the En-bloc capsulectomy procedure, a small incision is made under the fold of the breast, which is called a inframammary incision. If you decide on having a breast lift done at the same time, it’s done through a vertical scar in the lower aspect of the breast, since this incision is usually required for the lift.

The surgeon will then use a delicate and meticulous technique to carefully separate the normal breast tissue from the capsule until the entire outer surface of the capsule is free and it can be removed intact.

The capsule and any fluid are usually sent to a pathology lab that we exclusively use. This lab has extensive experience analyzing the capsules and fluid from capsules. Oftentimes, special tests are done to make sure that there are no cancer cells (either breast cancer or ALCL), fungus, bacteria, or other abnormalities found in the capsule. – this needs to fact checked by the team

AFTER SURGERY CARE

While recovery plans are depended on the patient, there are a few tips to ensure that you have a smooth recovery process:

Drink plenty of water and stock up on vitamins and supplements such as amino acids, protein powders, vitamin c and fish oil.
The recovery time for a standard office worker is about seven to ten days but longer for someone with a physically active job.
Allow six weeks until you can resume strenuous activities like lifting and exercising.
Don’t push the healing process. Allow your body to mend.
Look for signs that confirm that the symptoms leading to your breast removal decision are disappearing such as headaches, improved skin tone and clarity, diminishing nausea and even fewer allergies.