Dr. Leonard and staff,

"I just wanted to thank you all for taking such good care of me. You and all of your staff were so nice to me and made me feel so comfortable. I feel very blessed."

 

Dr. Leonard and staff,

"Thank you for treating me like a cherished patient. This surgery has renewed my life! I am not the scarred lady anymore! I can't thank you all enough."

 

"After getting the release from Dr. Leonard to be able to workout after my breast reduction surgery, I decided to go out for a run/walk, and you know what?! I almost cried!!! It is SUCH a difference not having these huge, heaving things on my chest! It was so amazing! I can't wait to get back to regular running again! My bra is not constricting my lungs and there is no weight on my chest making it hard to breathe. I am over the moon! THANK YOU!"

 

"From a terrible experience with my mastectomy, you and your staff turned it into a nice and peaceful reconstruction experience. Thank you so much for your help!"

 

"Dr. Dann, Thank you so much for the new Me! I couldn't be happier. Your amazing and have changed my life and body forever!"

 

"Dr. Leonard, Thanks! The first surgery that you did for me made me look 'girly' and now the second surgery makes me feel 'girly'!" -- V.B.

 

BII/En-Bloc/Permanent Breast Implant Removal

Overview of Dr. Leonard’s Experience

  • Regional en-bloc expert and referral center.
  • Endorsed by The Northwest “Oregon, Washington, Idaho” breast implant illness Facebook support group.
  • Successfully performed over one thousand en-bloc implant removals over the past 4 years.
  • Performs en-bloc capsulectomy breast implant removal technique. He has not had a single case where that technique was not performed successfully.
  • Greater than 90% of Dr. Leonard’s patients have significant symptom improvement and state that their lives have been dramatically enhanced by en-bloc implant removal.
  • Performs muscle repair every time it is needed, with determination made in the operating room and individual patient findings.
  • Dr. Leonard is a referral center for BIA-ALCL ”Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma”, associated with textured breast implants, and has local oncologic medical expert support if additional care is required

 

 


 

Patient 1- Bilateral En Bloc Implant Removal with Full Pattern Mastopexy

(Scroll Down Below for Full Case Study)

Technique of En-Bloc Removal

When your en-bloc implant removal is performed by Dr. Leonard, it is performed as an outpatient procedure. General anesthesia is required so that all of the chest wall muscles will be relaxed, which is necessary for safe en-bloc removal.

The en-bloc removal of implants will take around two and half hours, and a deep plane reconstructive mastopexy (breast lift) takes an additional hour and a half. Dr. Leonard has developed a special team as well as techniques to ensure successful en-bloc implant removal absolutely every time.

When it comes to surgery, often times patients are quite frightened by post operative pain. When your en-bloc removal is performed by Dr. Leonard, he uses a newer long-acting pain blocker called Exparel in all areas where surgery is being performed. It dramatically decreases pain levels and has been a game changer. With en-bloc removal by Dr. Leonard, you will experience dramatically less pain than surgery performed by other physicians who do not use Exparel. It is AMAZING.

Every patient who has an en-bloc implant removal will also be explored for the need for muscle reconstruction. If this is required, Dr. Leonard will perform a component chest wall separation procedure so that the pectoralis major muscle is completely and entirely freed up and advanced into its normal, natural position. This restores your chest wall anatomy to the state it was before the implants were placed. This is very important mechanically.

Suction drains will be used, as they are necessary to not only remove surgical fluid, but also provide a negative suction to heal tissues to their normal anatomic state. The entire goal of en-bloc implant removal is to completely remove the implant and associated capsule completely intact so there is no leaking of any fluids that could contaminate the space.

Very often, patients will be left with a significant hollowing of the breast and excess tissue which I have labeled a “soufllé deformity”. Often times this can be permanent and disheartening. Despite other claims, it’s absolutely safe to perform immediate breast reconstruction utilizing a deep plane full pattern mastopexy in almost all patients. This excises excess skin without making the breast smaller, and restores a youthful aesthetic characteristic to the breast. This procedure is dramatically helpful in restoring normal breast anatomy and self-esteem.

There is no reason to live with the soufflé deformity that often results after implant removal, which can be permanent. In Dr. Leonard’s practice, we often have been quoted saying “The breasts may be smaller, but they can still be pretty!”.

Typical Reasons For Breast Implant Removal

Mechanical Problems
Mechanical breast implant problems can present in many different ways. Often, patients will have breast implants all of their adult lives, but as their bodies have aged and changed, the implants become problematic for a variety of reasons. The musculoskeletal system can no longer carry the weight. They are often ready to remove the implants permanently and return to a natural body state without foreign objects. Sometimes, patients have had large implants placed, and then as they age and change through menopause, their native breast tissue enlarges and the end result causes pain and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, body, and shoulder region. Often these patients will have implants removed, much like a patient would have a breast reduction, to increase comfort. Patients can also have painful capsular contracture, where the scar capsule around the breast implants tightens and causes significant pain and deformity. A breast can also take on a deformed shape from malposition of an implant. Permanent removal achieves a natural state, improves aesthetic appearance, and improves symptoms.
BII “Breast Implant Illness”
Breast implant illness is a symptom complex that can vary not only in the number of symptoms but also the intensity of the symptoms, and is felt to be related to the breast implants themselves. There were a number of patients who suffered this back in the early 1990’s, and the presentation was called “Adjuvant Syndrome”. For the last five years there has been a dramatically larger number of patients presenting with these symptoms, and include significant autoimmune symptoms and problems. I believe the increased number reflects the power of the internet, with patients able to communicate on a significantly larger scale. Because of this, I believe there is a recurrent awareness of BII, and the benefits of implant removal to improve the symptoms. Dr. Leonard, his office and surgical team are very receptive to the significant and problematic symptoms that many of these patients face. He shares the excitement of their health journey after their implants are removed. The stories that are shared are amazing, and are often voiced in the Northwest breast implant illness Facebook support group.
BIA-ALCL “Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma
• BIA-ALCL is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma “cancer of the immune system” associated with the outer surface of the breast implants. It can develop in the scar tissue of the capsule or in the fluid surrounding the breast implant. BIA-ALCL is curable in most patients, and the most common presentation is acute and rapid enlargement of the breast or development of a lump. It is fairly easily diagnosed and can occur around saline or silicone gel implants. It is nearly exclusively associated with textured implants, most often with the Allergan brand, but also to a lesser degree with Mentor and Sientra implants. The incidence of BIA-ALCL is still considered to be rare. The treatment is surgical removal of the implant and capsule using a complete en-bloc capsulectomy approach with adjacent tissue removal. Usually this is curative and does not require chemotherapy. Dr. Leonard has a full oncologic support team that he works with to provide cutting edge care, both pre- and post-operatively, for these patients.

Breast Implant Removal Case Studies

Patient 1- Bilateral Breast Implant Removal with En Bloc Capsulectomy – Part 1

Patient 1- Bilateral Breast Implant Removal with En Bloc Capsulectomy – Part 2

Patient 1- Bilateral Breast Implant Removal with En Bloc Capsulectomy – Part 3

Patient 1- Bilateral Breast Implant Removal with En Bloc Capsulectomy – Part 4

Patient 1- Bilateral Breast Implant Removal with En Bloc Capsulectomy – Part 1

 

 


 

 

Patient 2 – En Bloc Implant Removal – Video 1

Patient 2 – En Bloc Implant Removal – Video 2

Patient 2 – En Bloc Implant Removal – Video 3

Patient 2 – En Bloc Implant Removal – Video 4

Leonard Plastic Surgery is conveniently located in downtown Salem, just blocks from Willamette University, Riverfront City Park, and Salem Hospital. To access Dr. Dann K. Leonard’s Salem plastic surgery practice, you can take exit 253 from I-5. It is just a few minutes to Dr. Leonard’s practice from the interstate. Please contact us if you have any questions about visiting our practice.

Water Place
500 Liberty Street S.E., Suite 400
Salem, OR 97301
503. 391. 2760

Leonard Plastic Surgery

Contact Leonard Plastic Surgery

Leonard Plastic Surgery

Water Place │ 500 Liberty Street S.E., Suite 400 │ Salem, OR 97301

(503) 391-2760 │leonardplasticsurgery@gmail.com

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