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Replace Breast Implants Every 10 Years?

Should Breast implants be replaced every 10 years? If not, how often? Is this covered by insurance?

Asked 33 months ago by HtownShelley in Richmond, TX

Read my review "How Often to Replace Implants?"

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No need to replace implants every ten years.

Implants are not permanent devices. Most things that we place in the body at some point need to be replaced. Having said that, there is not an automatic trigger. If the breasts are soft and in good shape, and the implants are intact, most would leave them alone. Silicone leaks are hard to appreciante clinically, and so an MRI is used for detection.

Jeffrey Roth, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

No expiration date on breast implants

Hi, Thank you for your question! There is no expiration date on implants so it is hard to say when or if they will ever need to be replaced. As long as you have no signs of deflation, capsular contracture, or any other problematic issues with your breasts, they may never need to be replaced. It is important, especially if you have silicone implants, to get a regular mammogram or MRI to make sure everything is ok. Other than that, if you are not experiencing any problems with the implant,... more

Sam Speron, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Implants do not have to be replaced every ten years.

The good news is - implants do not have to be replaced every ten years. We expect implants to last longer than that although of course the exact life of each set of implants cannot be guaranteed. however the implant companies believe so strongly in their products that if the implants do break the companies will replace the implants. Depending on the company and the type of warranty that might have been purchased at the time of the original surgery there may also be some compensation... more

Susan E. Downey, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Replace breast implants when they break

Most saline and probably also silicone implants will last 10 to 20 years. l see no point in replacing them unless they're broken. You'll know when they break, and go to your doctor then. If only one breaks at 10 to 20 years, it may be best to replace both.

G. Gregory Gallico III, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I don't know where this rumor got started but many paitents iqnuire about this. My general feeling is the old saying: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!". The question is: how do you know if it's broke? That is a more difficult quesiton to answer. Salines usually deflate and anyone can make the diagnosis. Current silicone implants tend to maintain their volume and shape making it extremely difficult to detect. This has prompted the FDA to make the 3 year and 2 year thereafter MRI... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Replace only if necessary

Breast implants - saline or silicone - do NOT need replacement every ten years. The shells of either do break and they are not lifetime devices. Therefore, at some point, you should expect to have to replace leaking implants. The ten year timeline comes up because that is about the average lifespan for a typical implant. However, that is not to say some don't last significantly longer - I have seen saline last up to 26yrs and silicone about 30yrs. I have also seen much less time than 10yrs... more

Bahram Ghaderi, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Implant replacement as needed

You do not need to automatically replace breast implants after a certain time limit. Saline implants get replaced when they leak. SIlicone implants also get replaced when a leak is detected but not all intracapsular leaks necessarily get replaced as an emergency surgery. SIlent intracapsular leaks might be followed carefully without surgery although there is a risk of extracapsular migration. The idea of implant replacemetn after ten years is a result of the statistic of increased rsik... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

It is NOT true that breast implants need to be replaced every 10 years.

Hi! This is a very common idea, but it is not true. If your breast implants look fine and feel fine, leave them alone. In New York City, we tell breast aumentation patients who have SILICONE implants to have an MRI of the breasts every 2 or 3 years, because a silicone implant could be leaking and you would not know it . The silicone gel stays in place whether the implant shell is intact or not.

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Implants and changing them

I have heard this from many of my patients, but as the saying goes "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it." Yes, if the implants are problematic then I would consider fixing the problem, but if the implants are fine then leave them alone.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Do not replace implants by the calendar

Breast implants placed for cosmetic purposes will not have insurance coverage by a third party. The implant manufacturer has a warranty that assists with implants that deflate or rupture. The current implant warranty provides for financial assistance if the implants fail in the first ten years. After ten years the company will only give you a new implant. Silicone implants may have a silent rupture so you can consider doing an MRI to evaluate the status of the implants. There is no time... more

Marcus L. Peterson, MD

Saint George Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Your breast implants are not ticking time bombs

We don't really know the life span of implants. Obviously this depends on many factors including the implant material itself and the person's biology, scarring, etc. Recently I had two patients come in requesting implant exchange because they reached the ten year mark. Both had their surgery in California and were told by their surgeons that these must be removed and exchanged in ten years. Both women were very nervous because they passed the deadline. Both looked very good, natural and... more

George Marosan, MD

Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

This is an urban myth

If you are happy with the look, feel, and size of your implants and if they are intact there is no reason to undergo implant replacement just because a certain amount of time has passed. It is possible to never need more than one operation.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Where did the "Ten Year" interval come from?

This milestone of an implant lasting just ten years came from research that was done on the previous generation of silicone implants. With changes in the way implants are made nowadays we may be finding out in ten years that fewer implants need to be replaced than the FDA anticipated. I tell my patients to expect they will have to change them at least once in their lifetimes, but that this ten year interval is not cast in stone. I also remind my patients that at some point they should... more

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Phillip C. Haeck, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

If they are not broke...don't fix them

This is a good question and often asked by many of my patients. The implants placed today have an average lifespan of about ten to twelve years. This is just an average and some women will never have to change their implants while others may have an implant related problem requiring a change a short time after their initial surgery. Insurance most likely will not cover this as they consider this an elective cosmetic procedure. Women with Silicone implants that were placed in the past and... more