According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the number of women having their once-beloved breast implants removed has jumped by about 10%, while the number of breast augmentations performed dropped by approximately 3%. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you consider the number of breast augmentations performed in a year (between 300,000 and 400,000,) it’s staggering.

The ASPS only expects the number of these “explant” procedures to grow. After a solid three decades of growth, what is happening to the breast implant trend?

The Body Positivity Movement

With stars like Sharon Osborne, Victoria Beckham, and Melissa Gilbert opening up about their breast implant removals, and with pop sensations like Lizzo preaching self-love in the face of all adversity, it’s really not surprising that so many women are abandoning their implants. Public ideals are shifting away from the “bigger is better” mentality of the early-to-mid 2000s. More and more women, even if they do opt for implants, are choosing sizes more in line with their natural shape and body type.

The contemporary ideas about fitness have shifted as well; many women who once chose surgery to modify their bodies have created healthier eating habits for themselves and established exercise routines instead. These women are simply discovering that their implants don’t match their new lifestyles.

Implant Upkeep

However significantly changing ideas about beauty have affected how women see their implants, the biggest reason for implant removal is, quite simply, that breast implants don’t last forever. Like all manufactured products, they have a shelf life. Women who are now in their 30s and 40s who got their implants in their 20s are faced with either replacing or removing them.

Breast Explants: New Wave of Plastic Surgery?

It’s important to understand that this is only the beginning of a trend. Many women are still seeking out breast implants, and some are even seeking out those same large implants that were so popular a decade ago.

However, as western ideas of beauty continue to relax and shift away from the dramatic, sometimes unnatural “hourglass,” it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if the number of breast reductions continued to drop, or if the number of women having their implants removed continued to rise.

If you are considering a cosmetic procedure in the Ft. Myers area, consider scheduling a consultation with Dr. Lorraine Golosow at Associates in Cosmetic Surgery.