Over a month since undergoing breast implant removal surgery, model and social media enthusiast Chrissy Teigen has persisted in sharing genuine photos and her reflections on the experience with her social media followers. In a recent snippet posted to her Instagram Story, she remarks, “A number of my friends keep having to inform people that I truly got my implants removed, because no one believes it. These are the scars.”
As per plastic surgeons (who were not involved in Teigen's treatment), the vertical marks that Teigen displayed beneath her areolas are typical breast lift scars and could imply that Teigen's surgeon carried out a breast lift concurrently with the breast implant removal—though the celebrity did not disclose this specifically.
What do breast lift scars resemble?
“These [vertical scars] are mastopexy scars,” states Dr. Melissa Doft, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City (not Teigen's doctor), and she indicates that performing a breast lift along with implant removal is not at all uncommon. The placement of implants stretches the skin surrounding the breasts, so when they are removed, the skin is naturally left more slack. “If you have very small implants and were of small breast size initially, and you did not undergo any significant life alterations, such as pregnancy or substantial weight loss, then you can sometimes merely extract the implants. You might have a slight degree of slackness, but it will appear relatively natural,” Dr. Doft elaborates.
“But for individuals who had larger breasts to commence with or had larger implants, you have essentially created this extension on the breast tissue, and subsequently, the breast tissue is left with a considerable amount of what we term ptosis, or slackness.” Keeping this in mind, numerous patients, especially those who no longer possess youthful breast tissue, have their implants removed and choose to undergo a breast lift simultaneously, to address some of the redundant skin and create a more appealing shape. “A lift not only eliminates the excess skin but also offers the surgeon an opportunity to effectively reshape the breasts to have a pleasing curve,” adds Dr. Doft.
Incorporating a breast lift prolongs the surgery, but there is no additional pain or recovery period. “It is actually more painful to have your implant inserted because most surgeons in the United States will position them beneath the muscle—and by doing so, you are essentially creating this cavity that did not exist previously, and you are stretching it and causing a great deal of pressure,” Dr. Doft explains. “But removing them is a rather pain-free operation, and even conducting the breast lift is not very painful, so the majority of people will take pain medication for two to three days and stay at home for approximately five days.”
What do breast implant removal scars look like?
Just as the implants can be inserted through several methods—through the belly button, through the armpits, and most commonly, from beneath the breasts or from the areola—they are typically removed in the same manner.
“Probably the most prevalent [way to remove implants] is to do it beneath the breast. It is usually a four- to four-and-a-half-centimeter incision beneath the breast, resulting in a smaller scar and not a vertical scar,” says Dr. Doft. “It would be quite uncommon to create that vertical scar just to insert or remove an implant. You only create that scar if you are also conducting some sort of lift or removing some of the looseness of the skin.” The surgeon does note, however, that during a breast lift, implants can be removed through the vertical incision.
