Breast Implant Revision Q&A
86%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
154 Reviews
Breast Implant Revisionbefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average Breast Implant Revision Cost: $7,100

Learn about Breast Implant Revision

938 people and 512 doctors are talking about Breast Implant Revision

Get Free Email Updates

Can I Refill my Saline Breast Implants?

asked 2 years ago by anon
Latest answer by James Tang, MD
Question viewed 4,674 times
Tags: saline implants, refill, shrink

I was happy with my breast augmentation, from 34A I went to 34C,even small D.Saline implants. But since last year they apear to gettting smaller and smaller every day. I am qurious do anyone knows if they can fill them up without to remove the implants and for less than new implants cost? Thank you

12 answers to Can I Refill my Saline Breast Implants?

+2

Can I increase the size of my existing breast implants by adding saline to them?

All breast implant manufacturers have a optimal recommended range of breast implant fill. A breast implant can be filled more, or some saline can be removed as long as the final volume remains in this recommended range. otherwise, you can increase the risk of implant deflation, as well as altering the natural look and feel of the implant.
S. Sean Younai, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.beautifulself.com

+2

Vanishing breast size

It is unlikely, both of your implants are leaking.  Instead you are experiencing changes in your own breast including loss of the initial swelling from surgery, retraction of the muscle if they are under the muscle, and thinning and compaction of your breast tissue.  If you desire being larger, I woyuld reccomend you see your surgeon about revising your augmentation with a new larger implant.  However if your initial augmentation is at the lower range of the allowable fill... more
Vishnu Rumalla, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+2

Implants Lose Their Shape After Too Much Overfilling

My guess is that if you had a true leak, the implants would be about flat within a week. Refilling or overfilling an implant beyond the 20% recommended by the manufacturer can cause several problems: You void the warranty The fluid that can be added is usually small - like 50cc- so no major size increase could be expected. As you overfill, the implant gets taller and rounder, but not wider..si it looks more like a ball, which may appear unnatural.
John LoMonaco, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon
+1

Leaking saline implants should be removed and replaced

If you notice that your breasts seem to be getting smaller, it is likely that your saline implants may be leaking. It is unusual that both implants would be leaking at a slow rate at the same time. Usually leaking saline implants are manifested by a sudden overnight complete deflation. I would recommend consulting a plastic surgeon and if the implants are leaking, to have them reoved and replaced with new implants. It would no be advisable to refill implants that are... more
James Tang, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon
+1

Adding saline to implants

I would not recommend adding more saline to already filled implants. Usually they are filled to the recommended max number. To overfill them will make them harder and change the shape. You are better off putting in an appropriate sized implant and filling the new one up.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Saline implants refills

There are many reasons for decreasing breast size including postoperative swelling reduction, leakage from the saline implants, thinning or breast tissue displacement from overly large implants, and weight loss. It is very difficult to determine why your breasts are becoming smaller without more information. It is not recommended to simply refill implants for many reasons. The volume of saline for each implant is within a given range and overfilling implants can lead to... more
David Bogue, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

www.drbogue.com

+1

See Your Plastic Surgeon.

I would not recommend refilling your implants. Perhaps placing a larger implant and filling it to the recommended fill volume. This would address your desire for larger beasts and remove an implant that may have a slow leak (I doubt - as your implant would go flat almost overnight). This is very general information and you would really need to be seen and examined by your plastic surgeon before making an informed decision for you.
Charles Perry, MD

Sacramento Plastic Surgeon
+1

Can Implants be filled

Your concerns are not uncommon. The decrease in size is probably not the implants but rather the breast tissue. If the implanst are filled to a volume greater than the maufacturers recommendations it may void the warranty. As long as you are aware of that it is not unreasonable to add more fluid, something that can be done under local anesthesia in the office in most cases.
John P. Stratis, MD

Harrisburg Plastic Surgeon
+1

Surgical fees vary geographically and between plastic surgeons

You would  do well to visit your plastic surgeon to discuss your options. It is not likely that you have a deflation occuring on both sides so you cannot re-inflate a saline implant. You may benefit from having a removal and replacement surgery with a larger implant. Best of luck. Dr Edwards
Michael C. Edwards, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon
+1

Smaller Breasts after Augmentation

It is possible that you are seeing the result of resolution of post-operative swelling. However, I think another explanation could be slowly leaking implants. The time frame favors this;but simultaneous leaks in both implants would be very unusual. If the implants have partially deflated, the implant manufacturer will probably replace them a no cost. You should discuss this with the plastic surgeon who performed your augmentation.
John Whitt, MD

Louisville Plastic Surgeon
+1

Saline Breast Implant overfill

In theory, it is possible to overfill your saline breast implants, as long as the amount of saline used is within the permissible "fill schedule". For example, if you have 300cc implants, it is possible to overfill them 50cc. You should check with your original implanting surgeon how much saline was originally used, as well as the vital statistics of the implant. You should be aware of the following: 1) reoperating for volume overfill, your surgeon may actually worsen the... more
Lavinia Chong, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+1

Refilling saline implants

You are now 1 year out from saline breast augmentation and you claim that your breasts "are getting smaller and smaller everyday". The most likely explanation is that the initial swelling present after your surgery is decreasing. It can take many months (and up to a year) for all the swelling to go down and this may be the reason that your breasts appear smaller. Also, the implants continue to settle into a more natural position and this "dropping" can give the... more
Matthew Schulman, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question