No immediate concern, but time for f/u with a plastic surgeon

There is probably no reason for concern. Breast implants do not need to be repalced at a certain time. They may last 10 or 30 years. As long as you are happy with the shape and softness you can wait.

Having said that, and knowing that they have been in for almost 25 years,  I would meet with your origianl surgeon if he/she are in your location or start to meet and find a surgeon you would be comforatble with.  The odds are over the next few years the device will fail. Most commonly device failures do not casue any problems and many times are found on incidently on routine mammograpy.

For many patients, breast implants provide years of trouble-free satisfaction.  It is not unusual to find patients who have had their breast implants for ten, fifteen, or even twenty or more years, with no apparent problems.

However, breast implants are mechanical devices which cannot be expected to last forever.  Most manufacturers now warranty the implants for ten years, although this does not imply that implants will wear out sometime thereafter.

In some cases, in spite of everything seeming normal, there may be "silent" rupture of the implant.  In the case of silicone gel implants, there is no loss of volume of the breast when the outer shell of the implant breaks, since the silicone gel is not absorbed by the body, and generally stays contained within the scar tissue capsule of the breast.  In thise cases, the breast may feel "mushy", without the ability to feel the implant moving as a distinct mass, and the diagnosis of rupture can be made by MRI examination.  Implant rupture of this nature is generally related in a linear fashion to the age of the implant, becoming increasingly likely as the age of the implant increases.

Breast Augmentation patients should have routine breast examinations by their plastic surgeons, and should have mammograms done annually as per the recommendations of the American Cancer Society.

So, although no news may be good news, patients with older breast implants should not neglect routine breast examinations and mammoagraphy, even if there are no apparent problems.

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