Saline implant removal entirely up to you

James C. Grotting, MD answers: How long can ruptured saline implants stay in my body?

My right saline implant ruptured or had a slight leak some time ago. I had my surgery 8 years ago, and my surgeon is in another state some 2000 miles away. How long can I live with this deflated saline implant in my body before it causes harm? Should I have it replaced or removed immediately?


James C. Grotting, MD
9 months ago
By James C. Grotting, MD - Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

The best time to replace a ruptured saline implant is immediately after the deflation is noticed. The reason for this is that the capsule, or scar layer surrounding the implant will begin to shrink down around the deflated implants. 

After a certain time passes (approximately 2-4 weeks), replacing the implant may require opening of the shrunken capsule to accommodate the volume of the new implant. In your case, the deflation happened "some time ago." If this time is longer than  about 4 weeks, you would likely require capsulotomy for proper positioning of the new implant.

Aside from this, there is no inherent danger in waiting to have your implant removed and replaced, other than cosmesis.

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