Breast Implant Removal Episodes

A woman walks into the office holding her phone, points at a stranger’s before-and-after, and says she doesn’t want that result. Dr. Luke Swistun’s answer is almost always the same: that isn’t you. The photo shows someone with different tissue, different proportions, and usually a different surgery — none of which predicts where her own breasts will settle. Dr. Swistun is the explant expert at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre, and women fly into San Diego from all over to see him. With hostess M...

Six months after her breast implants came out, a young woman handed Dr. Luke Swistun a full, untouched bottle of Xanax — the same prescription she had been burning through at three to four pills a day before the explant. Stories like hers are why Monique Ramsey is marking 230 episodes and five years of the La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast by going back to the archive. Monique counts down one moment from each of the five LJCSC surgeons — Dr. Johan Brahme on why a brow lift feminizes women but makes men ...

When breast implant illness support groups started telling each other to ask their plastic surgeon for an “en bloc capsulectomy,” they were borrowing a term from cancer surgery — and asking for something most surgeons knew was impossible. The plastic surgery community didn’t correct them. They listened, and then they renamed it. Dr. Luke Swistun walks hostess Monique Ramsey through the Breast Surgery Collaborative Community Consensus and the four types of capsulectomy that came out of it: total ...

Bigger isn’t always better, and women are realizing it after living with breast implants. San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun talks about the shift toward smaller, more natural-looking breasts. Everyone on social media is calling them “yoga...

Why does breast implant removal sometimes cost as much—or more—than getting implants in the first place? It sounds backwards… until you hear what actually goes into explant surgery. Explant surgery isn’t just about removing implants; it’s often about correcting the changes implants cause over time. While simple removal can be straightforward, adding capsule removal requires far more precision and time. San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun explains what happens to the breasts after implants...

After 21 years with implants, Jennifer has reached her limits with the pain, scar tissue, and breasts that stretched far beyond what she ever imagined. What started as 420cc implants have grown from a D cup to triple Ds, leaving her hunched over with aching joints. At first, she considered swapping them out for smaller implants, but during her consultation, breast implant removal expert Dr. Luke Swistun reassured her that she had plenty of natural tissue to work with. Simply downsizing would me...

Breast implants don’t just change your body. They can impact your mind too. For many women, removing implants brings unexpected relief: less anxiety, deeper sleep, clearer thinking, even a sense of liberation they didn’t realize they were missing....

What if lowering your anxiety helps your body heal better? That’s exactly why Dr. Luke Swistun gives every patient his personal cell phone number. Knowing you can reach him anytime keeps worries from spiraling, so you can stay calm and focused on recovery. But that’s just one of the many ways he makes sure every patient feels heard, validated, and cared for from day one. He shares how his concierge-style approach goes far beyond surgery. From blocking out extra-long consultations so no question ...

Here’s the answer to the question every woman considering implant removal surgery asks: “What will my breasts look like after I remove my implants?” Achieving a beautiful shape after saying goodbye to implant volume takes a skilled surgeon. San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun explains everything you need to know about breast auto-augmentation, a technique that restores breast shape and volume using your own natural tissue. For most women (about 80%), auto-augmentation is all that’s needed...

The term “en bloc” floats around online in breast implant associated illness circles, but this actually refers to cancer surgery where healthy tissue around a tumor is removed. To update the terminology and clear up any confusion about capsulectomy, plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun explains the definitions and differences between the specific explant procedures. For his usual breast implant removal procedure, “total intact" is the most accurate term, which involves carefully removing the entire ...

After 8 years of living with 400cc silicone implants, Caroline started feeling differently about them. Later on, seeing coworkers rave about their explants inspired her to seriously consider removing hers. It wasn't an easy decision, as those implants had been part of her for a whole decade. Caroline shares the emotional rollercoaster leading up to her explant surgery and how she found support from Dr. Swistun and other women who had been through it. Find out what motivated Caroline to book her ...

Amie had her first breast augmentation with saline implants at age 21 (back in 1998 when Pamela Anderson was the “it girl") and 13 years later switched to silicone. When unexplained symptoms emerged, she wondered if her breast implants were the cause. Feeling lost, she found an online community focused on breast implant illness (BII). It was in this group where she heard about LJC plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun. After her capsulectomy & explant surgery, Amie learned from Dr. Swistun that her l...

When Candy first started experiencing strange symptoms, her husband Michael thought it was just an aging thing. Even as she met with plastic surgeons doctors to discuss having her breast implants removed, he was supportive but skeptical. Since her explant surgery a year ago, he quickly noticed Candy has much more energy. Like having a “brand new wife,” she has the energy of a 20-something, both physically and mentally. At the first consultation, when they saw how much Dr. Luke Swistun genuinely ...

Plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun has helped hundreds of women with breast implant removal and is deeply experienced with breast implant illness patients. In this podcast, we talk about what you might experience immediately after surgery, how much pain to expect, how long recovery might take and how complications are handled. If you have capsular contracture, implant rupture, or malpositioned implants, you’ll feel a huge difference when the implants are out. Many patients also mention less back p...

Twenty-two years ago at the age of 22, Janelle got her first set of saline breast implants and she was ecstatic. Right on schedule, ten years later she had them replaced with silicone gel. Janelle loved how she looked with breast implants, but in 2018 she began experiencing a collection of unusual symptoms including extreme fatigue, dry eyes, dry mouth, and other miserable things. Suspecting that the breast implants might be the cause, she shared her symptoms on Instagram and received a flurry o...

San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun is known for being a thoughtful listener and artistic surgeon. Hear about the surprising 21st century way Dr. Swistun landed his dream job at LJC and his unique path from Poland, to Chicago, to the US Navy, to Beverly Hills, and now La Jolla. Find out which surgery is his favorite to do, the work that means the most to him, and what you can expect when you have a consultation either online or in-person. Follow Dr. Swistun on Instagram Read more about Lu...

As the en bloc capsulectomy procedure for removing breast implants becomes more common, many women have questions about their choices for implant removal or replacement. Plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun takes us inside his unique specialty to help make sense of the challenging topics of capsular contracture, breast implant illness, and breast implant removal. Meet Dr. Luke Swistun Read more about breast implant removal See before and after photos La Jolla Cosmetic is located just off the I-5 San...