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Breast Explant Surgery, Newport Beach and Orange County
If you are considering breast implant removal in Newport Beach, this is the core of Tim Sayed MD's practice, not a sideline. He is double board-certified with more than 20 years in practice, and he removes the implant with its capsule still sealed around it in one en bloc operation. How your breasts will look afterward is planned with you at the consultation, not decided in the operating room.
En bloc
Capsule and implant removed as one
2
Board certifications
20+
Years in practice
4.6
Google rating
At a glance
What it is
A same-day procedure. The implants are removed, along with the scar-tissue capsule around them in almost every case, and if your breasts need reshaping, a lift or fat transfer is done in the same operation.
Who it suits
Capsular contracture, a ruptured or worn-out implant, symptoms you suspect are linked to your implants, a textured device you would rather not keep, or simply deciding you are done with implants.
Orange County cost
Plan on roughly $9,000 to $14,000 all in for en bloc explant with capsulectomy. With a lift, the total is usually about $14,000 to $19,000. Financing is available for qualified patients.
Time in surgery
Plan on two to three hours in the operating room for en bloc removal, a bit more if a lift or fat transfer is added. You sleep at home that night.
Back to normal
Most women are back at a desk in about a week. Drains come out in the first week or two, hard workouts resume around week six, and your final shape continues to develop over three to six months.
Your surgeon
Tim Sayed MD, MBA, FACS. Double board-certified. Orange County patients see him on MacArthur Boulevard, a short drive from Fashion Island and John Wayne Airport.
Explant is a different operation from augmentation, not just the same one in reverse, and it needs its own technique and planning. Done carefully, it removes everything that was placed and leaves a breast that looks natural and settled, with a result that is individual to you.
Why women explant
Most women come to Dr. Sayed for explant for one of five reasons: a capsule that has tightened and hardened, an implant that has ruptured or worn out, symptoms they connect to their implants, a textured device they want removed, or a simple decision that implants are no longer for them. You do not owe anyone an explanation. Your reason is what matters, and the consultation is where it becomes a surgical plan. Want to start with the technique? See the en bloc breast implant removal page.
Scar tissue has tightened around the implant and is squeezing it, so the breast feels hard, sits high, aches, or looks misshapen. The most definitive treatment is removing the implant together with the entire capsule.
Implants are not permanent devices. A silent rupture found on MRI, a deflated saline implant, or an implant that has been in place for 15 or 20 years are all reasons to consider removal instead of another replacement.
Fatigue, sore joints, brain fog, hair loss, rashes, and other complaints that patients link to their implants. Many say they feel better once everything is removed, and these patients make up a large share of Dr. Sayed's practice.
Some textured implants, including the recalled Allergan Biocell line, have a small but real link to BIA-ALCL. Instead of living with that uncertainty, some women choose to have the implant and capsule removed.
Maybe the kids are grown, your body has changed, life has moved on, or the implants never felt like you. Wanting your natural breasts back is as common, and as valid, as any reason on this list.
Implants heavy enough to pull on the neck and shoulders, implants that have dropped, drifted toward the armpit, or moved too close together in the middle, and rippling you can see through thin skin.
Plenty of other conditions cause the same symptoms, so having them does not prove your implants are responsible. It is still a good reason to see a surgeon who does this often, go over your implant history, and decide together whether removal is right for you.
The technique
The first question to ask any surgeon is what they will do with the capsule. Dr. Sayed's default is en bloc removal: he frees the capsule from your tissue while the implant stays sealed inside, and both come out as a single closed unit. If en bloc removal cannot be finished safely, he completes a total capsulectomy and still takes out the rest of the capsule, cauterizing any small piece stuck to the ribs that cannot be removed safely.
| Comparison | En bloc capsulectomy | Total capsulectomy | Partial capsulectomy |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is removed | Implant and entire capsule together, capsule unopened | Entire capsule, but opened and removed around or after the implant | Only part of the capsule; the rest is left on the chest wall |
| Best suited to | Ruptured silicone, breast implant illness concerns, textured implants, capsular contracture | Thin or adherent capsules where en bloc is not safe, most routine removals | Thin, healthy capsules when a new implant is going straight back in |
| Contents stay sealed | Yes. The capsule stays closed, so silicone, fluid, and biofilm are far less likely to contact your tissue | Partly. The capsule is opened, so contents may be exposed | No |
| Capsule to pathology | Yes, as one intact specimen | Yes | Sometimes |
| Dr. Sayed's approach | His default whenever the capsule can be freed safely | His fallback if en bloc would risk the chest wall | Rarely, and only when the capsule is thin and a new implant is planned |
Why insist on a sealed capsule? An older silicone implant can rupture without any warning signs, and a capsule can hold biofilm, calcium deposits, or loose gel. Removing it closed keeps that material from spreading into the breast. That protects your comfort, leaves a clean pocket if you ever choose implants again, and gives many women the reassurance they wanted from explant in the first place. Dr. Sayed explains more on his en bloc breast implant removal page.
En bloc: the capsule comes out sealed around the implant. Total capsulectomy: all of the capsule is removed, whole or in pieces. Partial: some of the capsule is left behind. Ask your surgeon which one you are having, and why, before surgery day.
Compare en bloc removal with the other techniques in Dr. Sayed's detailed guide
Breast implant illness and BIA-ALCL
Breast implant illness, or BII, is the label patients and doctors use for a broad set of symptoms after augmentation, including fatigue, sore joints, brain fog, hair loss, and rashes, that some women link to their implants. No test confirms it yet, and the science is still developing. Many women report feeling meaningfully better once their implants and capsules are fully removed, so Dr. Sayed listens to these symptoms instead of dismissing them.
BIA-ALCL, or breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, is a different issue. It is a rare but serious immune-system cancer that develops in the capsule around certain textured implants. The FDA has issued safety communications about it and requested a recall of specific textured devices, and it has also reported rare cases of squamous cell carcinoma in the capsule. It usually shows up as sudden swelling or fluid years after surgery, and if it is caught early, the standard treatment is to remove the implant and the whole capsule en bloc. See the FDA's BIA-ALCL medical device reports and its guide to breast implant risks and complications.
The approach is the same for both: remove the implant and the whole capsule sealed whenever it is safe, send the capsule and any fluid to pathology, and go over the results with you in person. Dr. Sayed also moderates a private BII explant community where women share their experiences before and after surgery, so you do not have to go through this alone.
How Dr. Sayed performs explant
You are under general anesthesia in an accredited facility, and an en bloc removal takes about two to three hours, longer if a lift or fat transfer is added. You go home the same day. Dr. Sayed performs every step himself.
01
Dr. Sayed goes through your implant records, any scans, your symptoms, and how you want your breasts to look afterward. He examines your tissue and explains plainly what removal alone, removal with a lift, or removal with fat transfer would give you.
02
Your original scar under the breast is reused whenever possible. If you are having a lift, the capsule comes out through the lift incisions, so you do not get an extra scar.
03
The capsule is carefully freed from the breast tissue, muscle, and chest wall while the implant stays sealed inside. If the capsule is fused to the ribs, he stops before reaching the chest cavity and switches to a total capsulectomy rather than push on with an unsafe dissection.
04
A photo of the intact specimen goes into your chart, the specimen goes to pathology, and you get the results in about a week.
05
If it is part of your plan, he repairs the pectoralis muscle where needed, performs the lift, or moves fat from your abdomen or flanks into the upper breast to restore softness and shape.
06
Small drains go in to keep fluid from pooling and usually come out within a week or two. You go home in a surgical bra with a written recovery plan and your follow-up visits with Dr. Sayed already booked.
This is surgery under general anesthesia, so it carries the same risks as any breast operation: bleeding, infection, seroma or hematoma, changes in nipple or breast sensation, a visible scar, asymmetry or an uneven contour, and the risks of anesthesia itself. Entering the chest cavity while removing a capsule is rare, which is exactly why he switches to a total capsulectomy rather than pull a capsule off the ribs by force.
Most of these are uncommon and treatable, and your consultation covers each one in plain terms, along with how your own health history affects your risk. Results, and how much any symptoms improve, differ for every patient.
Expect to wait if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, still losing a significant amount of weight, unable to stop nicotine for several weeks around surgery, or living with an uncontrolled condition that raises surgical risk. An active infection or an unexplained lump is checked first, before any surgery is scheduled.
If your goal is to keep your implants and fix a problem such as contracture or malposition, breast augmentation revision is usually a better fit. Dr. Sayed will recommend the option that suits you, even if it is not the one you had in mind when you walked in.
Your options after removal
Removing the implant is half the job. The other half is the breast that remains, and that depends on how much of your own tissue is left, how much the implant stretched your skin, and where your nipple sits now. Your consultation covers all three options, with results shown for each.
You do not have to make this decision alone, or before you arrive. Bring your questions, and Dr. Sayed will show you what each option has looked like for women with a build like yours.
Read Dr. Sayed's guide to breast lift and fat grafting with explant
This is the simplest route, and it is right for more women than you might think. It works when your implants were modest for your frame, your skin springs back well when pinched, and your nipple still sits at or above the crease under the breast. Dr. Sayed confirms all three at your consultation.
With nothing added, you keep your original scar, recovery is the quickest of the three, and over three to six months your breasts settle back toward their size before augmentation.
What it asks of you is patience. The first weeks can look deflated, and some women with larger implants later decide they want a lift. That can be done as a second stage once things settle, which many women prefer to committing to a lift from day one.
If an implant has overstretched your skin or the nipple has dropped below the crease, removing the volume alone leaves loose skin with nowhere to go. A breast lift done at the same time removes that extra skin, raises the nipple, and reshapes your own tissue into a smaller, firmer breast.
He removes the capsule through the lift incisions, so no new scar is added, and he uses the least extensive lift that will work: a periareolar lift around the areola for small changes, or a lollipop or anchor lift when more skin needs to come out.
Expect about an extra hour of surgery, a slightly longer recovery, and scars that fade over 12 to 18 months. For most women with larger or older implants, the lift is what separates a result they settle for from one they really like.
Fat grafting suits women who are done with implants but miss some fullness at the top of the breast. Dr. Sayed takes fat from the abdomen, flanks, or thighs with gentle liposuction, purifies it, and injects it in thin layers into the breast tissue, never back into the old capsule space.
Some of that fat survives long term, usually enough for a subtle, natural increase in volume, and the area it came from gets a little contouring as a bonus.
It cannot match a large implant volume for volume, it depends on having enough fat to spare, and it is sometimes done a few months after the explant so the graft goes into healed tissue with a good blood supply. Combined with a lift, it is the closest you can get to rebuilding the breast without an implant.
Where the nipple sits. At or above the crease points toward explant alone; below it points toward a lift. Nothing else on this list matters as much.
How your skin behaves. A pinch test and a look at any stretch marks show him how much your skin will tighten on its own over six months.
Your tissue compared with the implant. A small implant over plenty of natural breast tissue behaves nothing like a large implant on a petite frame.
Condition of the capsule and implant. A hard, calcified capsule or a ruptured implant can leave dips in the contour that fat grafting evens out better than a lift alone.
What you care about. How you feel about scars, a second surgery, liposuction at the donor site, and cost all shape the plan. Nothing is decided without you.
Case studies
These are real patients, photographed and documented, not illustrations, so you can see what removal actually looks like. The galleries are grouped by the plan each woman chose. Dr. Sayed performed every case, and every capsule was removed either intact or in full.
Case study 01
The largest set. These women's implants had stretched the skin or lowered the nipple, and they had en bloc removal with a lift (mastopexy) through the same incisions. Notice how natural the lifted breasts look, rather than deflated.
Case study 02
Modest implants, good skin elasticity, and nothing added. These cases answer the question Dr. Sayed hears more than any other: what will I look like once the implants are out?
Case study 03
Women who wanted to stay implant-free but keep some fullness at the top of the breast. Fat taken from the abdomen or flanks fills the upper pole and smooths the contour the implant left behind.
Case study 04
A lighter lift for women who need only a minor nipple adjustment and want the scar kept around the edge of the areola. Capsule removal and lift happen in the same operation.
Every result is individual, and all photos are shared with consent. At your consultation, ask to see cases similar to yours in implant size, tissue, and goals.
Cost
In Orange County, en bloc explant with capsulectomy generally costs about $9,000 to $14,000 all in, covering the surgeon, anesthesia, the accredited facility, pathology, and your follow-up visits. Adding a lift usually brings it to about $14,000 to $19,000, and fat transfer adds more depending on how many areas are treated. Dr. Sayed gives you a written quote once he has seen exactly what your case involves.
How much capsule work. Removing a capsule en bloc or as a total capsulectomy takes longer and demands more than simply taking an implant out, and that shows up in operating and facility time.
A lift or fat transfer on top. Both lengthen the operation and add technical work, and both are included in one combined fee rather than billed as a separate surgery.
What came before. Old ruptured silicone, a heavily calcified capsule, and previous revisions all make a clean removal take longer.
Whether insurance helps. A documented rupture, severe contracture, or BIA-ALCL may qualify for partial coverage. Removal for BII or a change of mind usually does not. The team can help you request a predetermination.
Financing. Monthly payment plans through third-party medical lenders are available to qualified patients.
When you compare quotes, ask each surgeon three questions: is the capsule included, does it go to pathology, and is a lift included if you need one? The answers show what a price really covers.
See Dr. Sayed's pricing overview | Explore financing options
Recovery
Most women are on their feet the day of surgery, back at a desk in about a week, and cleared for full workouts around week six. Drains usually come out within a week or two. Your breasts keep softening and settling for three to six months, and that is when the final result shows. You go home with a written plan, and Dr. Sayed sees you himself at every visit.
Surgery day
Outpatient, so you are home within a few hours. Expect tightness and soreness, which prescription medication keeps under control. Have someone drive you home and stay with you the first night.
Days 2 to 7
Bruising and swelling peak, then start to fade. Take short walks several times a day. Drains usually come out at your first visit, and many women are back at a desk by the end of the week.
Weeks 2 to 3
Ordinary routines resume. Drive once the prescription pain medication is behind you. Keep the surgical bra on. Still no lifting, pushing, or chest work.
Weeks 4 to 6
Light cardio starts again, then full activity and upper-body training once Dr. Sayed confirms you have healed.
Months 3 to 6
The swelling clears, your breasts soften, and any lift or fat transfer settles into its final shape. That is when you see your final result.
Sleep. On your back with your upper body raised for about three to four weeks, then on your side once Dr. Sayed says it is fine.
Drains. Small tubes that keep fluid from collecting in the old implant pocket. Most women find them more awkward than sore, and the team shows you how to empty them before you go.
Scars. Your original incision is reused where possible. Expect scars to fade over 12 to 18 months, and Dr. Sayed will advise you on taping, silicone gel, and sun protection.
Exercise. Walk from day one. Lower body around week three, and full training, chest and shoulders included, near week six.
The early look. Flat or deflated in the opening weeks is normal. Shape and fullness return as the swelling drops and the tissue loosens.
Changes in symptoms. Many women who explanted for BII report improvement over weeks to months. It varies, and Dr. Sayed will not promise an outcome he cannot predict.
Your surgeon
Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, and recertified by both, Tim Sayed MD, MBA, FACS holds double board certification. His path ran from UC Berkeley to the UCSF School of Medicine to Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard, then a plastic surgery fellowship back at UCSF, with an executive MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management added later.
Over more than 20 years in practice, explant has become the center of his work. En bloc capsulectomy is his default, every capsule goes to pathology, his cases are shared in a public gallery, and the BII explant community he moderates lets patients learn from each other. He performs every operation himself, from first incision to final stitch, and sees you at every follow-up.
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Board certified and recertified
American Board of Surgery
Board certified and recertified
UCSF School of Medicine
MD and plastic surgery fellowship
Harvard, Mass General
General surgery training
Kellogg School of Management
Executive MBA, Northwestern
Alpha Omega Alpha
National medical honor society
Aesthetics Done Right is a standard, not a tagline: the complete operation, an honest account of what lies ahead, and a surgeon who is there at every follow-up visit. Medically reviewed by Tim Sayed MD, MBA, FACS. Last updated October 2026.
Serving Newport Beach and Orange County
Dr. Sayed's Newport Beach office is at 3991 MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 320, a few minutes from John Wayne Airport and a short drive from Fashion Island, Newport Center, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, and Irvine. Patients come from across Orange County, and some travel from out of state for his explant work. For the full picture of explant across Southern California, see the breast implant removal and BII overview. If you live closer to San Diego, see his La Jolla breast implant removal page.
Orange County's coast is a good place to recover from explant. Walking is the best early activity, and the level paths around the Back Bay and Newport Harbor make a daily loop easy. The main caution is sun: new scars darken with UV exposure, so wear a rash guard or a high-coverage swimsuit and mineral sunscreen for the first year. Hold off on swimming in the ocean or a pool until the incisions have fully closed, usually around four weeks.
Tim Sayed MD, Newport Beach office
Address
3991 MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 320, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Phone
(858) 247-2933
Nearby
Fashion Island, Newport Center, Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Newport Coast, Costa Mesa, Irvine
Also serving
Tustin, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, and La Jolla
Drive times to the office
Fashion Island
5 min
Costa Mesa
6 min
Corona del Mar
9 min
Irvine
9 min
Balboa Island
12 min
Laguna Beach
16 min
Bring your implant records, your questions, and anything that has been on your mind. Dr. Sayed will examine you, walk you through en bloc removal, show you results from women built like you, and give you a written plan and quote. Nobody will ask you to decide on the spot.
Questions
In Orange County, en bloc explant with capsulectomy generally costs about $9,000 to $14,000 all in, covering the surgeon, anesthesia, facility, and pathology. A lift usually brings the total to about $14,000 to $19,000, and fat transfer adds more. Insurance may help with a documented rupture, severe capsular contracture, or BIA-ALCL. Your exact price comes from the consultation and a written quote, and financing is available.
En bloc keeps the implant sealed inside the capsule and removes both as one closed unit. A total capsulectomy also removes all of the capsule, but the capsule is opened during surgery, either to free the implant first or because it comes out in pieces. Keeping it sealed matters most with ruptured silicone, textured implants, and BII concerns. Dr. Sayed performs en bloc removal whenever it is safe and switches to a total capsulectomy only to protect the chest wall.
Not in every case. If a thin capsule is fused to the ribs, removing it in one piece can put the chest cavity at risk. In that case he removes as much as he safely can en bloc, completes a total capsulectomy, cauterizes any fragment that cannot be removed safely, and documents everything. You will hear about this possibility before surgery and get the details afterward.
Many women do, but not everyone. Modest implants, elastic skin, and a nipple still at or above the crease often mean explant alone is enough. If the skin has stretched or the nipple has dropped, a lift at the same time removes the loose skin and reshapes the breast through the same incisions. Dr. Sayed shows you results of both at your consultation.
At first your breasts will look smaller and flatter than they will in the end. Give it three to six months: the tissue relaxes, the swelling goes down, and most women end up close to their size before augmentation, allowing for any changes from pregnancy, weight, or age. A planned lift or fat transfer shapes that final result, and the gallery shows real examples of each.
The symptoms are real, and many women report improvement once their implants and capsules are fully removed. What is not yet known is the cause, and there is no test to confirm it, so BII is not a formal diagnosis today. Dr. Sayed treats the symptoms as real, performs en bloc removal for patients who have them, and is upfront that he cannot promise which symptoms will improve.
BIA-ALCL is a rare lymphoma that develops in the capsule around certain textured implants, most often the recalled Allergan Biocell line. The FDA does not recommend removing textured implants in women without symptoms, but it does recommend getting any new swelling, fluid, or lump checked. Some women choose removal with en bloc capsulectomy for their own peace of mind. Dr. Sayed goes through your records and helps you decide.
Most women are back to desk work within a week, have drains out within a week or two, return to light cardio around week four, and are cleared for full exercise near week six. Swelling and shape keep settling over three to six months. Because more is done inside the breast, recovery from en bloc explant takes a little longer than from a straightforward augmentation.
Sometimes. A documented rupture, severe painful contracture, or BIA-ALCL may qualify for partial coverage, and some plans pay to remove implants placed during reconstruction. Removal for BII or a change of mind is generally treated as cosmetic and not covered. The team can help you request a predetermination from your insurer.
Always. The capsule and any fluid go to a pathologist, who examines the tissue and reports back in about a week. Most results show ordinary scar tissue. If anything unexpected turns up, Dr. Sayed reviews it with you and arranges the right follow-up.
Yes. He routinely places small drains to clear fluid from the pocket the implant and capsule left behind, which helps the tissue heal together and lowers the chance of a fluid collection. They usually come out at a follow-up visit within the first week or two.
Fat transfer can restore some softness and upper fullness after explant, but it cannot match implant volume. Fat is taken from the abdomen or flanks, purified, and grafted into the breast, and part of it stays long term. It suits women who want to stay implant-free and have enough fat to spare. Dr. Sayed will be straightforward about what it can and cannot do for your body.
He is double board-certified in plastic surgery and general surgery, trained at UCSF and Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital, and has more than 20 years in practice, with explant now at the center of his work. En bloc capsulectomy is his default, every capsule goes to pathology, his results are published in a case gallery, and he performs every operation and follow-up himself. The Newport Beach office on MacArthur Boulevard is near John Wayne Airport and a short drive from Fashion Island, and he also sees patients in La Jolla.
Gather your implant card or operative report, the year of your augmentation and who performed it, any imaging, and a short list of symptoms and goals. Think about whether you want to stay implant-free, and look through the gallery so you can point to results you like. The consultation is unhurried, and a virtual consultation is available if you are coming from outside Orange County.
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