Can PMMA be removed?

Feb 17, 2013

Dear Dr. Pierone,

I've had PMMA injections in my chest, and I'm afraid I've been "overfilled." The treated area doesn't look natural, because there's just too much filler. I was wondering whether PMMA can be removed after it's injected. I've seen different answers on various plastic surgery forums (like makemeheal). Some people say it can be removed with liposuction, but others say the material is too dense. I know that the PMMA microspheres get encapsulated in collagen, which I understand is firmer than fat, but does that make liposuction impossible? Have you had any experience with such a procedure?

If liposuction isn't possible, are there other alternatives for removing the stuff? If so, what are they and what risks do they involve?

Thanks in advance for your answer, and thanks for the service you're providing here.

Response from Dr. Pierone

Hello, and thanks for posting.

PMMA becomes encapsulated in a matrix of white blood cells called macrophages as well as collagen. There is no reason to believe that this could not be removed through surgery or a limited surgical approach such as liposuction. Another alternative might be injection of a corticosteroid to reduce the inflammatory component of the PMMA matrix.

Was the PMMA injected into the muscles of your chest to enhance them or was injected into the center over the breastbone to correct a "pigeon chest" condition? The latter would be easier to correct.

I hope this information helps and best of luck!