Breast implant removal, also called explant surgery, takes out saline or silicone implants and, when needed, the scar tissue capsule around them. In the UK it typically costs £3,500–£7,000; in Turkey, $1,200–$5,000 (about £1,000–£4,000). Most operations are day cases, and tenderness can last up to six weeks.
Why Do People Have Breast Implants Removed?
Some removals are a matter of preference and some are medically driven. Cleveland Clinic lists the most common medical reason as capsular contracture — scar tissue hardening around the implant, which can cause pain, discomfort or a change in how the breast looks. Other recognised reasons include:
- Implant rupture or leaking — the NHS states that a ruptured implant should be removed as soon as possible.
- BIA-ALCL — breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a rare cancer that develops in the scar tissue around an implant and is associated with textured implants.
- Calcium build-up around the implant.
- Movement or shifting of the implant.
- A change in the shape of the breast since augmentation, from age, pregnancy, breastfeeding or weight change.
The NHS also notes that some women report tiredness, anxiety and joint pain after implant surgery, sometimes described as breast implant illness. If you are weighing removal for symptoms like these, that decision belongs with your GP and your surgeon, not with a price list.
How Long Do Breast Implants Last?
Implants are not lifetime devices. The NHS states that breast implants do not last a lifetime and that some women need further surgery after about 10 years, either because of a problem with the implant or because the breast has changed around it. Cleveland Clinic puts the replacement interval this way:
“The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends that people with breast implants have them removed or replaced every 10 to 15 years. However, your plastic surgeon may not recommend that you have them removed if you haven’t had any complications.”
That last sentence matters: an implant that is in place, comfortable and showing no sign of rupture is not automatically an implant that has to come out. The NHS advice is the same — where there are no signs of rupture, discuss the benefits and risks of taking the implants out or leaving them in with a GP or your surgeon.
How Much Does Breast Implant Removal Cost?
Price follows the complexity of the operation far more than it follows the country. A straightforward removal, a removal with a full capsulectomy, and a removal combined with a breast lift are three different operations with three different theatre times. The table below is the canonical price range used throughout this page.
| Type of explant surgery | Turkey | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Simple removal (implants only) | $1,200–$2,500 | £3,700–£5,000 |
| Removal with capsulectomy (scar tissue capsule removed) | $2,000–$3,800 | £5,900–£6,800 |
| Removal with a breast lift (mastopexy) | $3,500–$5,000+ | £8,900–£9,200 |
| Typical overall range | $1,200–$5,000 (£1,000–£4,000) | £3,500–£7,000 |
Explant surgery costs by type of operation, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Ranges read from Google search results on 21 September 2026.
For comparison, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts the average cost of breast implant removal surgery in the United States at $3,979, and is explicit that this figure is only part of the total: it excludes anaesthesia, operating room facilities and other related expenses.
What the Price Usually Includes
In the UK a quoted price typically covers the surgeon’s fee, theatre fees, the hospital or day-case facility, and standard post-operative aftercare, with the initial consultation sometimes charged separately at around £150–£200. In Turkey the same procedure is usually quoted as a package. Ask any provider, here or anywhere else, to confirm in writing what is and is not inside the number before you book.
Two things are easy to miss. Removal and replacement is a different operation from removal alone and is quoted separately. And if a lift is likely to be part of your plan, pricing it as one operation rather than two is almost always the cheaper route.
Breast Implant Removal in Turkey
Turkey is one of the lower-cost destinations for explant surgery, and packages are commonly quoted all-inclusive. What the lower price does not change is the medical work: the same three operations, the same recovery, the same risks. If you are travelling, the questions that matter are who performs the surgery, how long you are expected to stay before flying, and what happens if you need a follow-up once you are home. Ask any provider for those three answers in writing before you commit to anything.
What Happens During Breast Implant Removal Surgery?
Breast implant removal is usually an outpatient operation, meaning you can leave the same day, so arrange transport home in advance. You will be given either intravenous sedation to keep you calm and relaxed, or a general anaesthetic. Cleveland Clinic describes the operation itself in four steps:
- The surgeon makes an incision around the areola, or in the inframammary fold under the lower edge of the breast.
- The implants and scar tissue are removed.
- New implants are placed, if you are also having a replacement.
- The incisions are closed with stitches, tape or skin adhesive.
You may have small drains placed under the skin to clear excess fluid or blood. These usually come out after a few days, but can stay in for 10 days or more.
Explant, Capsulectomy or Explant With a Breast Lift: Which One Do You Need?
These three names appear on every quote, and they are the single biggest driver of what you pay.
- Simple explant removes the implants and leaves the capsule in place. It is the shortest operation and the cheapest row in the table above.
- Explant with capsulectomy also removes the scar tissue capsule. It is the usual route where capsular contracture is the reason for surgery.
- Explant with mastopexy adds a breast lift, in which excess skin is removed and the breast tissue reshaped, and the nipple and areola repositioned if needed.
Which one applies to you is a clinical judgement made after examination, not something that can be decided from a photograph or a price page.
What Your Breasts Look Like After Implant Removal
This is the part most people want answered honestly. When you have implants, the skin stretches to accommodate them; after removal, Cleveland Clinic states that the breasts may sag, droop or appear misshapen. Volume and upper fullness are lost, and the breast settles back towards its own tissue shape over roughly three to six months. Skin with more elasticity tends to contract better than skin with less.
Two options exist for that. A breast lift removes excess skin and reshapes the remaining tissue; fat grafting can restore a modest amount of volume. Neither restores the implant look, and no surgeon can promise you a particular result. Cleveland Clinic names dissatisfaction with the appearance of the breasts afterwards as one of the most common risks of the operation — which is a good reason to talk through expectations before surgery rather than after.
Breast Implant Removal Recovery
Recovery is usually straightforward but it is not instant.
| Stage | What to expect |
|---|---|
| First 1–2 weeks | Avoid some usual activities, including driving. Wear the support bra or compression garment you are given. |
| First few days to 10 days+ | Any drains placed under the skin are removed. |
| Up to 6 weeks | Tenderness or soreness is common. Limit strenuous activity and heavy lifting. |
Your surgical team will give you specific instructions on wound care, activity limits, medication and follow-up. Those instructions take priority over any general timeline, including this one.
Risks and Complications of Breast Implant Removal
All surgery carries risk, and breast implant removal is no exception. Cleveland Clinic lists the following complications:
- Dissatisfaction with the appearance of the breasts — which Cleveland Clinic names as one of the most common risks of the operation.
- Bleeding.
- Asymmetry.
- Seroma, a collection of fluid in the space where the implant was.
- Infection.
- Loose skin.
- Numbness or changes in nipple sensation.
- Scarring.
Call your healthcare provider straight away if you develop chest pain, chills, fever, nausea or vomiting, persistent or worsening pain, or shortness of breath.
Surgery may also be delayed or reconsidered where you smoke, where you take medicines that increase bleeding risk such as anti-inflammatory drugs or certain herbal supplements, or where an existing health condition makes a general anaesthetic riskier. Your surgeon may ask you to stop smoking or adjust medication before the operation.
Removing implants does not remove the need for breast screening. The NHS is clear that you can still develop breast cancer after having implants, that you should continue regular mammograms, and that you should report any change in how your breasts look or feel to a GP.
Will the NHS Remove My Breast Implants?
Not routinely, and not on cosmetic grounds. The NHS states that you cannot usually get breast enlargement on the NHS and that you will normally have paid privately for the implants and for any follow-up surgery you need. Where implants were placed on the NHS, or where there is a rupture or another medical problem, the route runs through a GP: the NHS advises anyone with PIP implants — banned in the UK in 2010 — to speak to a GP if the surgery was done on the NHS, or to the original clinic if it was private, and to a GP if that clinic cannot or will not help. An ultrasound or MRI scan may be needed to check whether an implant has ruptured.
Anyone in the UK who has had implants for any reason since 2016 can also be recorded on the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry, which exists so that implants can be traced if a safety concern is raised about a particular type.
Thinking About Explant Surgery?
If you are weighing up removal, the useful next step is a proper assessment: which of the three operations applies to you, what it costs as a single written figure, and what your recovery realistically looks like. Our team can go through all three with you. Request a consultation, or read our guide to breast lift surgery in Turkey if a lift is likely to be part of your plan.
Related Reading on Breast Surgery
- All aesthetic treatments
- Breast augmentation recovery
- Gummy bear implants
- Breast lift scars
- Fat transfer breast augmentation
Cover photo: Shixart1985 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
