An independent directory of AHPRA-registered clinics
Surgical procedure · Wollongong, NSW
Breast implant removal (also called explant) is surgery to remove existing breast implants. It may be performed for medical reasons (capsular contracture, implant rupture, BIA-ALCL, suspected Breast Implant Illness), preference for implant-free breasts, or to convert to fat-transfer augmentation. Performed under general anaesthetic in an accredited hospital and regulated under the AHPRA July 2023 cosmetic-advertising guidelines.
By the numbers — Wollongong
Numbers reflect this directory's coverage of Wollongong, NSW at build time. AHPRA-compliant illustration only — no patient depiction.
Clinics offering breast implant removal (explant)
Premium and verified clinics appear first, then everything else. Each card links to the clinic's full profile.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Allan Mekisic - Breast Surgeon, Endoscopist, Laparoscopic Surgeon, Hernia Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Matthew Beck is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Miranda, Miranda NSW 2228
The Swan Clinic for Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Miranda. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Matthew Starr - Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Jason Maani Bariatric Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Daniel Cox is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Jason Maani Gallbladder Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr John Tawfik - Hand and Wrist Surgeon Wollongong is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Flinders Street Dermatology is a dermatology cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Tony Palasovski is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Southside Plastic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr. Bruce Ashford is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Gwynneville, Gwynneville NSW 2500
Dr Jeremy Hunt - Facelift Sydney & Plastic Surgeon is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Gwynneville. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Wollongong Surgical Associates is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
ISPA Clinic is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
DR Stephen J Pearson is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Rob Knight is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Dr Adrian Sjarif is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500
Wollongong Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery is a surgical cosmetic practice located in Wollongong. Details sourced from public listings and pending independent verification.
Procedure guide
Explant surgery removes existing breast implants. The reasons range from confirmed medical complications (rupture, severe capsular contracture, BIA-ALCL) through to elective preference (no longer wanting implants, suspected BII, conversion to fat transfer). The choice of capsulectomy approach (no capsulectomy, partial, total, or en-bloc) depends on the indication and patient preference.
Performed under general anaesthetic over 2–4 hours. Incisions are typically through the existing scars. The implant is removed; the capsule is removed in part or entirely depending on the indication. If mastopexy is added, that follows immediately. Drains are often used. Compression garment for 4–6 weeks.
Patients with implant complications, those who no longer want implants, or those with suspected BII. Smokers must abstain at least six weeks before surgery. The seven-day AHPRA cooling-off period is mandatory.
Wollongong context
Wollongong is a smaller but well-established cosmetic and plastic surgery market that serves the Illawarra and South Coast regions of NSW. Several Sydney-based FRACS plastic surgeons run regular consultation rooms in Wollongong, and there is a stable group of locally-based cosmetic and non-surgical clinics. The market is conservative compared to Sydney — fewer high-volume cosmetic-only operators, more practices that combine reconstructive and aesthetic work — and consultation availability is generally good. For Illawarra and South Coast patients, Wollongong often offers a faster path to consultation than travelling to Sydney.
Common surgical venues for cosmetic and plastic surgery in Wollongong include Wollongong Private Hospital (Coniston) and Figtree Private Hospital. Several plastic surgery practices also use ACHS-accredited day-surgery suites in the CBD and Figtree. Wollongong Hospital (public) provides tertiary backup and is the regional referral centre for the South Coast.
Wollongong attracts patients from the Illawarra, the South Coast, the Southern Highlands, and parts of the ACT. Sydney patients occasionally travel south for specific surgeons or for cost reasons. The drive from Sydney is 90 minutes via the M1; the Princes Highway takes longer but is often more comfortable post-operatively. Pricing for surgical work is typically slightly lower than Sydney; non-surgical pricing is comparable.
Wollongong is reached from Sydney by car (90 minutes), train (about 2 hours via the South Coast line), or a private shuttle. The CBD, Coniston and Figtree are walkable or easily reached by local bus services; outer Illawarra practices are best by car. On-site parking is widely available. The temperate coastal climate is generally favourable for surgical recovery year-round.
Cost factors
Explant alone: $8,000–$14,000. With mastopexy: $14,000–$18,000+. With fat transfer to breasts: add $4,000–$8,000. Medicare-pathway explant for medical reasons reduces out-of-pocket cost.
Itemised view of where the $8,000 – $18,000 typically goes. Quoted prices vary by surgeon experience, hospital, and case complexity — these shares are indicative.
| Component | Typical share | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| Surgeon fee | 50% | $4,000 – $9,000 |
| Anaesthetist fee | 12% | $950 – $2,150 |
| Hospital or day-surgery fee | 25% | $2,000 – $4,500 |
| Garments and supplies | 3% | $250 – $550 |
| Follow-up and reviews | 5% | $400 – $900 |
| Pathology, imaging, and other | 5% | $400 – $900 |
| Total | 100% | $8,000 – $18,000 |
Source: editorial estimates based on Australian Medical Association advisory notes and publicly disclosed clinic schedules. Actual quotes will vary; ask your surgeon for an itemised written quote before paying any deposit.
A typical recovery curve. Individual recovery varies — confirm specific milestones with your surgeon's post-operative plan.
Day 0
Procedure day.
Day 5
Early recovery.
Day 11
Halfway point.
Day 21
End of standard recovery window.
Day 42
Final result and return to all activities.
Recovery + practitioner
Hospital stay typically 1 night. Compression garment 4–6 weeks. Most patients return to desk work at 2 weeks. Strenuous activity restricted 6 weeks. Final shape settles over 3–6 months.
Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) with AHPRA registration and significant explant experience. For BII or BIA-ALCL cases, look specifically for surgeons with en-bloc capsulectomy experience. Ask about combined mastopexy / fat-transfer experience.
How the most-discussed risks for breast implant removal (explant) sit on a frequency-by-severity grid. All cosmetic procedures carry risk; the goal of this view is to help you ask better consent questions, not to dismiss any single complication as unlikely.
| Frequency \\ Severity | Mild | Moderate | Serious |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | — | — | — |
| Uncommon | — |
| — |
| Rare | — | — |
|
Frequency and severity classifications are editorial summaries based on Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons consent literature and TGA / AHPRA guidance. Your surgeon should explain each risk individually as part of the formal informed-consent process — this matrix is a starting point for the conversation, not a substitute.
AHPRA registration is the baseline credential check for any cosmetic procedure in Australia. The five steps below take roughly two minutes and are the single most important due-diligence step before paying a deposit.
Open the AHPRA register
AHPRA publishes a free public register of every registered medical practitioner in Australia. Open the official register — never rely on a third-party "verification" site.
Search by name and "Medical Practitioner"
Search by the practitioner's full name and select Profession: Medical Practitioner. The register returns active registrations only — if the name does not appear, do not proceed.
Confirm the specialty (or its absence)
Look at the "Specialty" field. A FRACS specialist plastic surgeon will list "Specialist Surgery — Plastic Surgery". Anyone who calls themselves a "cosmetic surgeon" without a recognised specialty is a general medical practitioner under AHPRA — that is a meaningful difference for surgical work.
Check for conditions, undertakings, or restrictions
The register flags any conditions on a practitioner's registration, including AHPRA undertakings or restrictions. Treat any flag as a reason to ask the practitioner directly what it relates to before booking.
Verify hospital privileges separately
Hospital privileges are issued by the hospital, not AHPRA. For surgical procedures, ask which accredited hospital or licensed day-procedure centre the operation will take place in, and verify the surgeon has admitting rights there.
FAQ
En-bloc capsulectomy removes the implant together with the surrounding fibrous capsule as a single intact specimen. It is the recommended approach for confirmed BIA-ALCL and is preferred by patients seeking explant for suspected Breast Implant Illness, since theoretically all capsular tissue is removed. It is technically more demanding than removing the implant and capsule separately and may require longer scars and more drainage. Total capsulectomy (removing all capsular tissue, but not as a single block) is a slightly less demanding alternative.
BII is a constellation of systemic symptoms (fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, autoimmune-like features) reported by some implant patients. It is not yet a formally recognised diagnosis in Australian medicine, but evidence is growing that a subset of patients see improvement after explant. Most experienced explant surgeons offer en-bloc or total capsulectomy for BII patients.
Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma is a rare T-cell lymphoma associated almost exclusively with textured-surface implants. Confirmed cases require oncological management including en-bloc capsulectomy, possible adjuvant treatment, and ongoing surveillance. Most Australian surgeons moved away from textured implants from 2019 onward.
Usually not completely. Breasts that have housed implants for years are often more deflated and lower than pre-augmentation, due to skin stretching and atrophy of natural breast tissue under the implant. Many patients combine explant with mastopexy (lift) and sometimes fat transfer to reshape the post-explant breast. Discuss this expectation explicitly.
Explant surgery may attract Medicare item numbers when performed for medical reasons (rupture, capsular contracture, BIA-ALCL). Cosmetic-only explant or explant for suspected BII may not. Discuss with your GP and surgeon.
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