Breast Implants Q&A
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What to Expect over the Lifetime of Implants?
asked 1 year ago by nif in Vancouver, BC
Latest answer by Robert N. Young, MD
Question viewed 339 times
Tags: permanent, replacement, timing
I've been researching breast implants and am vaguely aware that they aren't permanent. What do i need to know? Will they need to be replaced, and if so, when? Will i have to have any routine tests to see if they are still ok? Are there signs that they need to be replaced (other than for things like capsular contraction)? If i got implants at the age of 41, what would be the typical outcome expected for the next 40 years?
16 answers to What to Expect over the Lifetime of Implants?
+2
Breast implants, Breast Augmentation,
Like any mecanical medical device breast implants can fail. The consequences of a failed silicone gel implant are different from a saline implant.
If a gel implant fails generally the silicone stays within the scar tissue around the implant...no big deal...and the breast stays enlarged. If the silicone gets out of the scar tissue then it can cause lumps to form and migrate into the lymph nodes. This can be a mess to fix and can happen with even the newer cohesive gel implants. When the...
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Carl Price, MD
Springfield Plastic Surgeon
Springfield Plastic Surgeon
+2
Nothing lasts forever, not even breast implants!
Saline implants do have a leak rate, and when they deflate, re-operation is necessary. This probably occurs no more frequently than 10% per decade (most studies quote a lower rate), but this really has more to do with the actual fill volume that the surgeon used than any innate "problem" with the implants. True manufacturing defects are quite rare. Textured saline implants leak more commonly than smooth implants. Under filled implants leak more commonly than properly-filled...
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+1
Life Expectancy of Implants
Implants will usually last 10-20 years but like the other doctors have mentioned, they wont lasts forever. You will know when the Saline implants break because the implant will deflate. The Silicone require X-rays periodically to see if there is a break in them. Both implants are guaranteed by the company for life so they would give you new ones if they were to break.
+1
How long do breast implants last?
Most implant manufacturers have a ten year warranty on their implants, where they will help with the expense of having surgery if the implant deflates or leaks, and they have a lifetime warranty on replacement of the implant itself. So it is important to keep your implant information in case your surgeon should retire and not have access to your records anymore. Some women may be lucky and have their implants for a lifetime, but it is better to assume that at some point you will need to have...
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+1
All Breast Implants Will Require Replacement at Least Once and Maybe Twice Over A Patient's Life
The lifetime of any breast implant can not be predicted with any certainty. The manufacturers have statistics and warranties which do provide insight into this common patient question. All of that aside, you can say with certainty that at age 41 your breast implants will not last for the rest of the your life. You are going to have replacement implants done and may even have to have them replaced more than once. The need to replace a saline implant is obvious as there is...
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+1
What to expect over lifetime
I look at this from the point of view of the implant company. the company has a warranty that replaces both implants even if only one leaks. They are not planning on having you buy one set at age 41 and giving you free ones very often if ever in the next 40 years.
+1
Implants and guarantee
I will tell you that implants are not a lifetime product that will last forever. More than likely you will require another operation down the road to have them replaced.
+1
Breast implant expiration
I get the "how long will my implants last?" question a lot. I tell my patients who are considering breast implants that they will likely get 10, 15 or maybe even 20 years out of their implants. This is based on the low leakage and rupture rates of the current generation of implants and the fact that a woman’s body can go through a lot of changes in 10, 15 or 20 years. I am as likely to do an implant removal and/or replacement for naturally occuring changes in a...
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+1
Breast implants
If you have silicone implants you would need to get regular mri's to check for leaks. Saline implants deflate when they leak so you wouldn't need to get the mri's for that. There is no typical outcome. Some patients can have implants for many years without any problems. Others will have to go back to surgery possibly for leaks , capsular contracture, shifting, rippling etc. There are many reasons that may come up for going back into surgery.
+1
Breast implants
Breast implants do not change as much as your breast does. As you age or after children, your breasts lose volume(fat mostly) and sag. If you are very small to begin with, then they will not sag much. The larger the implant and heavier, it will add to this sag but if you wear a bra, not gain and then lose weight, this should not be too dramatic. I just saw a patient who is in her 70s, I replaced her old implants with newer silicone and did a small uplift. She is very pleased with the results...
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Edward J. Domanskis, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon
Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+1
Breast Implants require maintenance.
It is great that you are doing your research ahead of time. Breast implants and the results from breast augmentation do not last forever. However, the decisions made with the original surgery greatly influence the risk of having or needing revisional surgery over your lifetime. Statistical data on the rate of rupture or leak from currently available implants is well established for the first 10 years. Generally speaking, the rupture rate over the first 10 years is about 7% for saline filled...
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Breast Implant Lifetimes
You are correct that breast implants will not last forever, and will likely need to have them replaced in 10-15 years. Patents with implants can develope capsular contracturs, which is painful scar tissue on the inside of your breast, or they may rupture.
If you have saline implants, and they rupture, that breast will go flat, like a flat tire. If a silicon implant ruptures, it may not be apparent and if you are experienceing problems or think they may be ruptured, then...
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+1
Breast implants really are not permanent
All good things come to an end, and breast implants will have a usable life of ten years or more. Both saline and silicone gel, and even highly cohesive gel implants have the 'insides' contained in a silicone rubber elastomer shell. We seem to start to see leaks at seven years, and a significant number by ten years. Each manufacturer will have data collected on their particular product leak rate. In the US our FDA recommends an MRI study as early as three years after placing silicone...
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+1
Implant timeline
The breast implant is not guaranteed to last forever. Statistically, about 20% of women will have an additional breast surgery related to their implants (for a variety of reasons, including replacing for larger implants) at the 10 year post op timepoint. This is a 'rule of thumb' that I tell all patients. The important thing to recognize is that most women will keep their primary implant for a lifetime. Routine follow up with your plastic surgeon is the best way to detect early...
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Lifetime of Breast Implants
Breast implants according to their manufacurers are not designed to last a lifetime although they sometimes do. If saline implants develop a leak, it becomes apparent right away since they essentially disappear as the saline is absorbed by your body. Silicone implants, on the other hand, may develop a leak which is not detectable (if the silicone remains within the capsule) unless sophisticated radiologic exams or mammagrams are performed.
John Whitt, MD
Louisville Plastic Surgeon
Louisville Plastic Surgeon
+1
How do you know if a breast implant is leaking?
Hi.
1) Most women now get silicone breast implants. The latest study by Mentor shows that six years after breast augmentation, there was a 1.5% incidence of leaking. Of course, that incidence will go up when the implants are in place longer, but still it is a very low number. At 41, there is a good chance that the implants will last for all of your life. But there is a risk of leaking, in which case the implant needs to be replaced.
2) Because...
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