Breast implant revision in Istanbul: exchange, removal and correction

Why women choose implant revision

Every woman's reasons are different, but the most common are:

• Capsular contracture: the natural scar capsule around the implant tightens and hardens, making the breast firm, misshapen or painful.
• Rupture or suspected rupture, often found on a scan.
• Change in shape or position: implants that have dropped too low, moved sideways, rotated or show rippling.
• Breast changes over time: pregnancy, weight change and age can make the breast drop over the implant.
• A different size: larger, smaller or more natural than the first choice.
• Removal: the wish to live without implants.

If your first operation was a breast augmentation many years ago, revision is also a chance to rethink the plan with what your body looks like now.

The options

Depending on the situation, the surgeon may suggest one or a combination of the following:

Whether the capsule is left, partly removed or fully removed depends on its condition, and the surgeon explains the reasoning for your case before the operation.

Three common situations, explained

"My breast has become hard and round"

This is the typical picture of capsular contracture. The usual approach is to remove the tightened capsule, fully or partly, and either place a new implant, often in a different pocket, or remove the implants altogether. The surgeon explains which option gives the best chance of a soft result for you.

"My breasts have dropped over the implants"

Here the implant often sits in the right place but the breast tissue has slid down in front of it, creating a "snoopy" shape. A lift, with or without a new implant, repositions the breast over the implant.

"I simply want them out"

Many women decide after years with implants that they want to return to their natural size. Removal is straightforward to plan; the main question is how the breast will look afterwards, and whether a lift or fat transfer should be done at the same time to improve the shape.

What to bring and how planning works

Revision is planned around what you already have, so information matters more than in a first operation.

• Your implant card or any record of the brand, model, size and placement.
• Operation notes from your previous surgery if you have them.
• Recent imaging: an ultrasound or MRI is helpful to assess the implants and the tissues; the surgeon tells you what is required.
• Clear photos from the front and both sides.

If you do not have your implant card, do not worry: tell New City Clinic what you know, and the surgeon will plan accordingly. Price and plan depend on whether new implants are placed, whether the capsule is removed and whether a lift is added, which is why a quote follows the assessment.

Step by step in Istanbul

1. Free assessment. Send photos, implant details and any scan reports. A surgeon reviews them and New City Clinic sends a written plan and quote, usually within 24 hours.
2. Arrival. Airport pick-up and transfer to your hotel; your coordinator arranges every appointment.
3. Examination. The surgeon examines you, reviews imaging and finalises the plan with you. Blood tests and an anaesthesia assessment follow.
4. Operation. About one and a half to three hours under general anaesthesia at a licensed partner hospital, usually through your existing scar, with one night in hospital.
5. Check-up. Dressings and wounds are checked and the support bra fitted.
6. Home. The stay is usually five to seven days. You receive a new implant card if implants were placed, plus reports in English.

On the four-hour flight home, avoid lifting luggage and wear your support bra. The trip planning guide has more advice.

Recovery

Recovery is generally similar to the original augmentation, though it can be a little longer when the capsule is removed or a lift is added.

• Support bra: about six weeks.
• Work: desk work after about a week.
• Sport: after about six weeks, gradually.
• Final shape: usually seen at around four months, longer if a lift was done.

After removal alone, breasts are usually smaller and often less full, and the skin needs time to adapt; a lift at the same time can improve the shape. Our recovery guide explains how to plan the weeks after surgery.

Risks

Every operation carries risk, and revision surgery can be more complex than a first operation because of existing scar tissue. Your surgeon explains the risks specific to you. They include:

• Temporary swelling, bruising and tenderness; infection or bleeding.
• Recurrence of capsular contracture.
• Asymmetry, implant malposition or rippling.
• Changes in nipple or breast sensation.
• Seroma (fluid collection), particularly after capsule removal.
• The possibility of further surgery in future.

Results vary and cannot be guaranteed. Read our safety guide before choosing where to have your revision.

Price and what the package includes

Implant revision is always quoted individually, because it depends on whether new implants are placed, whether the capsule is removed and whether a lift is added. New City Clinic sends a free personalised quote after a surgeon has reviewed your photos and implant details.

The package usually covers surgery at an authorised hospital, the hospital night, hotel accommodation, airport–hotel–hospital transfers, pre-operative tests where specified, coordination and interpretation, support garments and complication insurance. Flights are not included. In the UK, implant exchange or removal with capsulectomy is commonly quoted at several thousand pounds, often more than the original augmentation; treat comparisons as approximate. See our price page and the New City Clinic price list.

Why New City Clinic is our choice as the best clinic in Turkey for implant revision

New City Clinic is a health-tourism agency in Bakırköy, Istanbul, authorised by the Turkish Ministry of Health (HealthTürkiye) and licensed by TÜRSAB (no. 17659). It does not operate itself: revision surgery is performed by a specialist plastic surgeon at a licensed partner hospital such as Acıbadem, Medicana, Medipol, Medical Park or Biruni. The plastic surgery team is led by Op. Dr. Fatih Kılıç, a plastic, reconstructive and oncological surgeon experienced in complex reconstructions, which is valuable when previous surgery has altered the tissues.

You receive the surgeon's and hospital's names in writing, complication insurance is included and one coordinator supports you throughout. Visit the New City Clinic implant revision page, our clinic page and the partner hospitals.

We recommend New City Clinic as one of the best clinics in Turkey for implant revision because it puts in writing what matters before you fly: the named surgeon, the licensed hospital, an itemised price and the complication insurance. Its quality and complaint-handling processes are certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 10002, and one coordinator stays with you from start to finish. Visit the New City Clinic website and our profile of Op. Dr. Fatih Kılıç.

Request your free revision assessment from New City Clinic

Choosing the best clinic in Turkey for implant revision starts with an honest medical opinion, and New City Clinic gives you one free of charge.

Send New City Clinic photos of your breasts from the front and both sides, your implant card or what you know about your implants, the year of your operation and any recent scan reports. Tell us what bothers you and what you would like: exchange, a different size, removal or a lift. A surgeon will review everything and your written quote usually arrives within 24 hours, free and without obligation. Use the form or WhatsApp.