Why some women are undergoing breast "explants"

Why some women are ditching breast implants

Doctors say they're seeing more women who are deciding to reduce or get rid of their breast implants.

One of those women, Amy Wys, told CBS News' Danielle Nottingham that she had breast augmentation surgery years ago when it was trendy.

Amy Wys CBS News

"At the time, I was in my early 20s and that was the thing, big fake breasts," said Wys.

Now, 15 years later, the 39-year-old Southern California mom says "the look" and the back problems that come with D-cup implants no longer fit her lifestyle. So she decided to have what's called breast "explant" surgery.

"I just wanted to go back to something a little more natural," she said.

Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Lisa Cassileth said a growing number of patients over 30 are reducing the size of their implants or having them taken out.

"There's that natural desire to be super sexy in your 20s and to be very attractive. In your 40s, you get a little more practical. You're trying to be healthy, you're trying to work out," Cassileth said.

Explant surgery gets women back to looking "a little more lean, a little more contoured, a little more athletic," she said.

Celebrities are going for explants, too. Media personality Sharon Osbourne and fashion designer and ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham have been open about their  surgeries. 

Victoria Beckham says she had breast implants removed

More than 290,000 women got breast augmentation surgery in 2016, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Some women are removing their breast implants for health reasons, too. Nine deaths from a rare form of cancer have been linked to breast implants, the Food and Drug Administration announced in March, prompting implant concerns. And this week, CBS Boston reported on a number of women who've opted to remove implants they blame for health problems such as joint pain, rashes and swelling.

More women are thinking about their future, too, said Cassileth.

"An implant only lasts for 10, 15 years. So these women are now looking ahead and saying, 'Wow, I've got an implant in. I'm going to have two, three more procedures in my lifetime?'"

After the explant surgery, Wys said she's more comfortable now in her body.

"I'm so happy. I think I look much better in my clothes, much more natural," she said.  

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