As a multi-award-winning breast surgeon with more than 30 years’ experience, Dr Rozina Ali has supported thousands of women on their journeys through breast surgery; augmentation, reduction, breast lift/ tightening, fat transfer and reconstruction. She is a firm believer that breast surgery is never just about size. It is about identity, sexuality, self esteem, self expression, it’s about the way you experience life.
Breasts are very very important to your psyche and it’s Rozina’s role to listen to your perspective and where appropriate advise and guide you on your own unique journey. Sometimes this means placing implants, changing them, repositioning them, removing them, or finding a natural-looking alternative. In this blog South Kensington based aesthetic and plastic surgeon Dr Rozina Ali offers her perspective on the very personal decision to make changes to previous surgical choices. We are, afterall, the result of our choices…so we may as well be better informed.
In recent months, CNN and other media outlets have shone a spotlight on the rising number of women choosing to seek treatment to remove their breast implants. Some describe discomfort, lifestyle changes or health concerns; others simply feel their priorities have shifted.What unites these stories is not appearance, but the very human wish to feel comfortable, confident and authentic in their own bodies.
I have often described the female chest as an ever-evolving landscape that reflects hormonal, health and psyche, it changes with hormones, with experiences and with life stages. Just as medication can affect your mood, surgery when used judiciously and in partnership, can restore balance, ease and joy to both social and personal wellbeing. For some women, breast implants were perhaps right at one time in their lives, but those times have changed. For others, perhaps there are appearance or alignment issues. Whatever the reason, you have the right to reconsider. No woman should feel pressured to keep implants that no longer serve her, yet, as CNN highlighted, too many still face dismissive or even coercive responses from their friends, their families or even, outrageously, their surgeons. In my practice, I take the opposite approach: your body, your choice, your preference my pleasure.
What struck me most in the CNN article were the women who felt unheard, even shamed, when they raised the possibility of implant removal. This is unacceptable. Surgery should never be about the surgeon’s ego, it is about the patient’s wellbeing. Full stop. I have always placed trust, honesty and empathy at the centre of my work. Patients often describe their journeys with me not just in terms of physical transformation, but of emotional support:
“Dr Rozina Ali exceeded every expectation. Honest, direct, and always had my wellbeing at heart.”
That is the relationship I strive for, one where you feel empowered, informed and cared for at every stage.
Implant removal is not a step backwards. It is a choice, to align your body with your present self. We all change and our needs change, for some women it means freedom from volume, for others relief from anxiety and for others a renewed sense of confidence or a new start. It’s potentially profound.
When you come to see me, we don’t just talk about surgery. We talk about you: your lifestyle, your health, your hopes. We use advanced planning tools, we review your options in detail, and we take the time you need to feel clear and comfortable in your decision. Because surgery is not about just passively “having work done.” It is about living comfortably in your body and making changes that will support your confidence, esteem and happiness for years to come. A theme I covered in my TED talk, Reconstruction, Reinvention, Redirection.
In my practice, every journey begins with a consultation, where I listen to your story and your concerns. If you were considering implant removal, together we would explore the options, guided by both your goals and your anatomy. I often use 3D imaging and simulation so you can visualise what different outcomes may look like, whether that’s removal alone, removal with reshaping, or natural augmentation.
Potential options include:
- Explant surgery (implant removal) and release or removal of any capsule: for women who simply want their implants out, often with minimal intervention.
- Breast lift (mastopexy): reshaping and repositioning the remaining breast to restore firmness and balance after removal. This can be done with minimal peri-areolar scarring or a more significant uplift, reshape and tightening of the breast.
- Fat transfer: using your own tissue to naturally restore soft tissue volume and contour, producing a soft, natural look and feel. This can also correct asymmetry and provide a reduction in size.
- Implant replacement: for those who still desire volume and structural support but desire a change in shape, projection, or size. The changes can be as subtle, as significant and as shapely as you want, always with your requirements as the priority.
For me, shape is paramount. Size, symmetry, and volume matter, but it is the sculpted form of the curved pyramid in harmony with your chest, your shoulders, your height that creates harmony with the body and achieves a natural appearance.
After almost 30 years in plastic surgery, across the NHS and the private sector, I remain passionate about helping you achieve results that are safe, natural and deeply personal. My premise is always the same: to put you first, then put my training, my expertise, my experience to your use.
