I want to get boob implants. Is it true I have to change them every 10 years?

The idea that breast implants need to be changed every ten years comes from the FDA reapproval study which provided the data that of all patients undergoing breast augmentation surgery in this study, 25% of women had a second surgery in the first ten years.  This includes all surgeeries such as those for malposition, change of size etc and is inappropriately extrapolated into "breast augmentation patients neeed revisional surgery with change of implants every ten years."  This simply is not true.The need for revision depends heavily on patient expectations and the physical findings of the patient and the status of the implant.  There are many different types of implants used and different types of placement surgery and planes of placement.In my opinion, need for revision surgery in the first ten years is very likely if saline implants are used, if the "dual-plane" or submuscular technique is used and if the inferior pole of the breast is overdissected.When planning breast augmentation surgery, I strive to give patients the best chances of lifelong satisfaction.  To achieve this I exclusively use highly cohesive form stable "gummy bear" and anatomically shaped silicone implants.  These implants are the most expensive available but carry several important advantages:1.) unlike the more commonly used cohesive gel silicone implants (not form stable), form stable implants do not flow if there is a defect in the shell, they rather retain their shape and generally show minimal change.  Non-form stable implants can leak their silicone contents into the surrounding tissue and cause local tissue distruction that is difficult to correct.  I have seen this happen and no longer use these implants in my practice for this reason2.) Anatomic shapes place less unnatural forces on the surrounding tissue and result in less tissue stretch and atrophy The second very important thing I do to give breast augmentations the best shot at longevity is the placement technique.  I use a technique that I call Cold-Subfascial Breast Augmentation R.  This means that I do not involve the muscle, I rather create a supporting internal bra of strong native tissue called fascia that holds and shapes the implant in a natural and supported form.  By voiding the downward and outward forces of the dual-plane or submuscular techniques I protect the tissues from these foreign forces and by covering the entire implant with strong support, I further blunt the force of the implant against the delicate breast tissue and skin.To recap the short answer to your question is that implants do not need to be removed unless there is a problem and secondly with form stable anatomic implants placed with structural support there should be long term satisfaction and no obvious need for revision.  I hope this helps!All the best,Rian A. Maercks M.D.

There is no specific timeline as to when breast implants
need to be replaced.Each patient and
their body is unique and many factors contribute to why a patient may need to
have their implants replaced at a certain point in time.Childbirth, implant rupture, capsular
contracture, and bottoming out can all contribute to why someone may choose to
have them re-done.I typically tell
patents that silicone implants tend to last 10-12 years, however, each patient
is unique.The effect of gravity is not
something we can change!

The latest statistics show that the average duration or lifespan of breast implants is about 20 years.  However, leakage can occur for various reasons much earlier or even later.  I have seen patients whose implants leaked in 5 years and also those whose implants were in good condition 30 years later.  Twenty years seems to be the average.  There certainly is no need to change your implants every 10 years, unless some other problem developed that you wanted to improve.  But remember that a breast implant is a manufactured device, essentially a silicone rubber balloon filled with either sterile saline water or silicone gel.  Over time, the outer sac will deteriorate and at some future time a leak will occur.  However, the FDA has not found any objective evidence that a leak poses any health risk.