Breast Implant Removal, Lift and Replacement in Turkey
Breast implant replacement in Turkey: removing old or ruptured implants, treating the capsule, lifting the breast if it has dropped and placing new implants in one operation; 2 hospital nights, 6 hotel nights.
Anaesthesia
General anaesthesia
Operation time
2.5–4 hours
Hospital / hotel
2 nights / 6 nights
Stay in Turkey
8 nights (2 hospital + 6 hotel), drains out before you fly
Back to work
Desk work in 7–14 days; exercise after 6 weeks
Package price
€2,760
What Breast Implant Removal, Lift and Replacement involves
Implants are not lifetime devices, and breasts change around them. Fifteen or twenty years after a first augmentation, a woman may have a ruptured implant found on a scan, a breast that has become firm or misshapen from capsular contracture, implants that have dropped or drifted outward, or simply a wish for a different size — often smaller. Meanwhile the breast tissue itself has aged, been through pregnancies, and may have slid off the implant. Replacing the implants alone in that situation often disappoints; the operation that works addresses the implant, the capsule and the breast envelope together.
The typical sequence is: remove the old implants, deal with the scar capsule (release, partial or complete removal depending on what is found), reshape the pocket so the new implant sits centrally and does not drift, lift the breast if the nipple has dropped, and place new implants — frequently smaller and under the muscle if they were over it. The old fold scar is reused; lift scars are added only when a lift is necessary.
What it is not: it is not a routine "swap" if the breast has changed — that is why the assessment matters; and it is not required at a fixed interval simply because implants are old. Intact, comfortable implants with a good shape can stay. The reasons to operate are rupture, contracture, malposition, symptoms, or a change in what you want.
Scars: The existing fold scar is reused; lift scars around the areola and vertically to the fold are added when a lift is needed
Who it suits — and who it does not
Good candidates
- ✓A ruptured implant on ultrasound or MRI, or one suspected from a change in shape
- ✓Capsular contracture: a firm, high, distorted or painful breast
- ✓Implants that have dropped, drifted to the sides, or joined in the middle (symmastia)
- ✓Drooping breast tissue over intact implants ("waterfall" or "snoopy" deformity) — needs a lift
- ✓A wish to go smaller, larger or change to a different implant type; or textured implants you would prefer replaced with smooth
Usually advised against
- –Intact, soft, well-positioned implants with no symptoms and no wish to change — there is no need to operate
- –Wanting implants removed and not replaced — a different operation (explant with or without lift) that we also plan; ask
- –Smokers unwilling to stop; revision surgery has thinner tissue and higher wound demands
- –Planning pregnancy in the next year
- –A breast lump or imaging finding that needs investigation first
Techniques and options
Implant removal and capsule management
Through the existing fold incision, the implant is removed. A thin, soft capsule may be left and simply opened or scored; a thick, contracted or calcified capsule is removed (capsulectomy), partially or completely. Total capsulectomy, or en-bloc removal with the implant inside, is used for ruptured silicone, contracture, or when textured implants are being removed with a concern about BIA-ALCL.
Pocket revision
The pocket is reshaped so the new implant sits centrally: sutures close the parts of the old pocket that had stretched outward or downward (capsulorrhaphy), or a new pocket is made in a different plane — most often moving from over the muscle to under it (site change), which gives fresh tissue cover and lower contracture rates.
Lift (mastopexy) over the new implant
If the nipple has dropped or the tissue hangs off the implant, a lift is done with the new implant in place so that the skin is closed without excess tension. Lollipop or anchor patterns are used depending on skin excess.
Internal support
In thin, stretched tissue, a sling of the patient’s own capsule or a supportive mesh is used to hold the new implant and prevent it from dropping again. This is decided at surgery based on what the tissue will hold.
New implant choice
Smooth round cohesive gel implants sized to the breast width, often smaller than the originals because the tissue is looser and the aim is a natural result. Implants come from established manufacturers with a new implant card.
What happens on surgery day
- 1
Assessment before travel: photos, your original implant details if known (type, size, placement, year), symptoms, and a recent ultrasound or MRI of the implants. The surgeon proposes the plan: capsule treatment, pocket change, lift or not, and implant size.
- 2
Admission on the morning of surgery after fasting. Blood tests, ECG and anaesthetic review; compression stockings and an anti-clotting injection. Marking standing up.
- 3
Under general anaesthesia, the old implants and capsule are removed through the fold scar and inspected; ruptured silicone is cleared and the pocket washed. The removed implants and capsule are documented; tissue is sent for pathology if indicated.
- 4
The pocket is revised or a new one created, sizers placed and checked sitting up, then the lift pattern tailored if planned. New implants are inserted with antibiotic irrigation and a no-touch technique.
- 5
Layered closure, drains for 24–48 hours, surgical bra. Two nights in hospital for pain relief, drain management and observation.
- 6
Discharge to the hotel on day 2. Drains removed and wounds checked at the clinic; fit-to-fly report before you travel.
Recovery timeline
Days 1–3
Tightness and soreness, more if the implants were moved under the muscle. Regular painkillers and a muscle relaxant if needed. Drains, walking from the first evening.
Days 4–8
Drains out; showers from day 3 with dressings protected. The new implants sit high and firm — expected. Fit-to-fly report.
Weeks 2–3
Desk work resumes. Surgical bra day and night. Numbness and tightness normal.
Weeks 4–6
Implants begin to settle; lifted shape rounds out. Light exercise from week 4, upper-body from week 6. Scar treatment from week 3.
Months 3–6
Final shape as implants settle and swelling clears. Scars fade from red to pink.
Months 12–18
Scars mature. New baseline photos and imaging for the future.
Results — and their limits
Soft, symmetrical, well-positioned breasts with the nipple centred and the implant where it belongs — the resolution of firmness, distortion or drooping that prompted the operation.
Modern smooth cohesive gel implants under the muscle have low contracture rates, but revision breasts have thinner, previously operated tissue, and the chance of needing a further operation over the years is higher than after a first augmentation.
If you went smaller, expect a period of adjustment; most women who downsize at revision are glad they did.
Removed implants and capsule are documented; if a concern such as BIA-ALCL was the reason for removal, pathology results are provided.
When it is final: New implants settle over 3–6 months; scars mature over 12–18 months
Risks and how they are managed
Every operation carries risk. These are the ones that matter for this procedure, and what is done to reduce, spot or treat each.
Capsular contracture recurring
Capsule removal, a new plane, antibiotic irrigation and a no-touch technique reduce recurrence; it remains more likely than after a first operation.
Bleeding and haematoma
Capsulectomy leaves a larger raw surface; meticulous control, drains and two nights of observation. One-sided swelling is drained promptly.
Infection
Antibiotic cover and technique; an infected implant must usually be removed and replaced after healing.
Wound-healing problems
Previously operated, thinner skin heals more slowly; non-smoking, tension-free closure and a lift only where needed.
Implant malposition or drop
Pocket repair sutures, internal support where tissue is thin, and moderate implant sizing.
Nipple sensation changes and nipple blood-supply risk with a lift
Pedicle design and monitoring; non-smoking essential.
Pneumothorax during capsulectomy
Rare; careful dissection over the ribs and awareness in theatre.
Blood clots
Compression stockings, anti-clotting injections, early walking, no flight before the fit-to-fly check.
BIA-ALCL and breast implant illness
Discussed openly; textured implants are replaced with smooth unless there is a specific reason. Capsule and fluid are sent for pathology when there is any concern.
Package and cost
€2,760
One fixed price for the operation and a 8-night stay: 2 hospital nights and 6 hotel nights. No deposit surprises, no add-ons for anaesthesia or medication.
Included
- ✓Consultation with the operating plastic surgeon, review of implant history and imaging
- ✓Pre-operative blood tests, ECG and anaesthetic assessment; breast ultrasound when needed
- ✓Implant removal, capsule treatment, pocket revision, lift where planned, and new branded cohesive silicone implants (new implant card provided), under general anaesthesia in a hospital operating theatre
- ✓Pathology of capsule or tissue when indicated
- ✓2 nights in hospital with nursing care, drains and medication
- ✓6 nights in a 4- or 5-star hotel in Kuşadası
- ✓Private transfers between airport, hospital, clinic and hotel
- ✓Surgical bra, drain removal, wound checks, fit-to-fly report and 12 months of remote photo follow-up
Not included
- –Flights and travel insurance that covers elective surgery abroad
- –Pre-travel ultrasound or MRI of the existing implants (requested from your local provider)
- –A second surgical bra and scar treatment beyond the first supply
- –Future implant imaging and any later surgery
How to compare this with a quote at home
Ask any clinic for the same list: surgeon and anaesthetist fees, hospital nights, tests, medication, garments or splints, follow-up visits. A cheaper headline price usually excludes several of these. Then add your flights and insurance to our price for a like-for-like comparison.
How to prepare
- 1.Send photos from the front and both sides, everything you know about your current implants (card, operation letter, year), your symptoms, and a recent ultrasound or MRI report.
- 2.Stop smoking and nicotine 4 weeks before and after — thinner revision tissue makes this critical.
- 3.Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, vitamin E and herbal supplements 14 days before; discuss the pill or HRT.
- 4.Decide with the surgeon whether you want the same size, smaller or larger before you travel; sizers confirm on the day.
- 5.Bring front-fastening tops and a soft non-wired bra; arrange 8 nights in Turkey and 1–2 weeks off desk work.
Aftercare at home
- •Surgical bra day and night for 6 weeks; no underwire for 3 months. Sleep on the back, slightly raised, for 3 weeks.
- •Showers from day 3 with dressings protected; no baths, pools or sea for 4 weeks.
- •No lifting over 3–5 kg or arms above the shoulders for 2 weeks; light exercise from week 4, upper-body from week 6.
- •Silicone on scars from week 3; sun protection for a year.
- •Keep the new implant card. Follow the imaging schedule for your implants and report any new firmness, swelling or change of shape at any time.
- •Report one-sided swelling, dusky nipple colour, wound opening, fever or spreading redness immediately. Photos at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Frequently asked questions
Do implants have to be replaced after 10 years?
Will I need a lift?
What happens to the capsule?
Can I go smaller?
My implants are over the muscle — can they be moved under?
Is revision surgery riskier than the first augmentation?
What if I just want the implants out?
When can I fly home?
What is included in the price?
Often considered alongside
Free assessment
Send your details; a coordinator replies with a surgeon’s opinion and a written plan.