I have had breast implants for 14 years. How Long Do Breast Implants Last?

Most breast implants will last a lifetime. 

There is a common misconception that implants will only last 10 years. This is not true. If you have no problem with your implant then nothing needs to be done with them. The only reason you would change an implant is if there is a problem with them. The most common long term problem is implant rupture. The risk of a rupture is 1% a year. So the risk of having a broken implant at the end of 10 years is 10%. That means that 90 % of implants will be fine at 10 years. The other common misconception is that saline implants are more likely to rupture than gel. This is not true. The rupture rate is the same for saline and cohesive gel implants because the outer shell of both type of  implants are virtually the same .

So most women will live their whole lives with their original implants and will never require additional surgery.

This is acommon question as I often have patients come into the office because they havehad their breast implants for over ten years and want to change them. I always discuss with patients what theactual reason is for changing the implants. If the only reason is because the implants are over ten years, but theyoverall still love their breasts I would tell them to keep them. I would not change them just because you havereached a certain year mark.

However ifpatients have other concerns about their breasts (they have fallen because ofkids, etc) then we should change the implants. I would not do surgery on a woman’s breast with implants over ten yearold and not change them if we are going to be in surgery already.

So the shortanswer is you do not have to change your implants because of certain year mark,but if you need a secondary surgery and your implants are over ten years old, Iwould advise changing them at the time of your surgery.

Please consultyou board certified plastic surgeon for further information.

Implants only need to be replaced if there is a problem.  The common reasons for implant replacement are deflation, tight scars (capsular contracture), implant malposition, or a desire to change the implant size.  You definitely need to find out why there is a change in the way your breast feels.

Most silicone and saline implants are FDA approved for 10 years. This means that you should get them replaced after 10 years. If you keep your implants longer, they can rupture, leak, deflate, and most importantly capsular contracture can occur. This means that scar tissue develops to surround the implants. Best wishes.

Most surgeons would recommend an exchange or extraction of breast implants after 10 to 15 years. However every patient is different and several conditions should be evaluated prior to making the decision to undergo a procedure.
Implants that show signs of capsular contracture (hard, round, painful) or rupture should be removed. A detailed evaluation by a plastic surgeon is important for making the right choice.

The companies that manufacture the breast implants usually have a 10-year warranty on the implants. This is one theory about where this misconception came from. But the fact is that if the implant procedure is done right, the implants can and do last much longer than that.
But there are definitely cases where the implants do need to be replaced. Here are 5 signs that you might need a breast revision.
You’re unhappy with the size – This is by far the most common reason for a breast revision. Capsular contracture – After breast augmentation, your body will form a protective scar “capsule” around the implant. Usually, the capsule is soft and gives the implant its natural, soft feel. However, in some cases, the scar capsule can harden, thicken, and start to contract on the implant. Changing shape – Silicone implants are incredibly durable so they will rarely change shape unless it’s from some kind of Saline implants, Moving – Another problem that some patients experience is the implants moving. This is called “migrating.” The implants won’t move far but it is often enough to be noticeably uneven.Rotating – While most implants are circular, there are some implants that are anatomically shaped–they typically look like a teardrop. These implants can sometimes rotate which will also make them look uneven.