I Have 23 Year Old Silicone Breast Implants. Should I Have Them Removed?

Removal of breast implants, intact or ruptured, may have positive implications if patients are symptomatic. A constellation of symptoms associated with breast implant illness, and autoimmune disease are considered when treating patients who have breast implants and are concerned about foreign body reaction. In our office, we begin this journey with a consideration of symptoms and exclusion of obvious autoimmune problems. In many of our patients, en bloc removal of breast implants with capsulectomy is important and beneficial. Further clinical evidence about breast implant illness is evolving and will continue to guide treatment. I would suggest removal if there is a possibility of foreign body reaction.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

As long as the implants are not ruptured and your doing well, you should be fine.  Also, make sure you're doing yearly mammograms as well.

This is not an easy yes or no answer, However, my impression, from your discription sounds as if you are generally dissatisfied with the implants and would benefit form implant removal.

Thank you for the question.

It sounds like there may be no “physical” reason for youth to happy breast implants removed. However, it also sounds like you may be thinking that her breast implants are somehow related to your “chronic fatigue…”. Sometimes patients have breast implants removed ( despite the lack of science connecting breast implants to other medical conditions) for  peace of mind reasons.

Ultimately, it will be your decision to make.  Hopefully you will be able to make this decision with the help of well experienced plastic surgeons and radiologists to guide you.

Best wishes.

The MRI did not find that the implants are ruptured but it did find some areas that are suspicious and a sonogram was recommended. It would be wise to find out what the suspicious areas are.

The fatigued has been present for three years and the implants for twenty three years , there does not seem to be a cause and effect here.

You need to have the findings discussed with you by a Surgeon who does breast surgery or a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

You really need a good physical exam and histroy to be taken first, and then a coordination of your care between your surgeons and the radiologists.

You need a surgeon who can work with all your physicians, and set a PLAN to deal with the abnormal MRI .

Even if you have to remove the implants , work up or biobsy the abnormal area. If all negative then you can have your implants again.

See Dr. B. Guyuron , chairman Department of Plastic surgery at Case Western Reserve University

I recommend you get a radiologist who is expert at interpreting the MRI findings in the presence of breast implants.  It's the MRI findings of the enhanced areas that gets my attention, not your implants.   If these areas are lighting up, it could be indicative of cancer.  I am not a radiologist, but I do not see how ultrasound will add any useful information.  Even if the ultrasound were normal, these enhanced areas still need to be explored and a tissue diagnosis obtained via biopsy.

If it were me, I would have a radiologist, a plastic surgeon and a surgical oncologist on board.  I'd have the implants out, a biopsy of the spooky areas and depending on the results, proper treatment.  If it's all a false alarm, you can always have reaugmentation with the newer implants.

Good luck.  Let us know what happens.

Lisa Lynn Sowder, M.D.

There is no evidence to support a threat to your health or a connection with the symptoms you describe because you have silicone gel implants or because they are intact or not or because they are a certain number of years old. 

The issue of what is going on in your beast tissue is a separate and health-related issue that is best handled by the recommendation of the radiologist and treating physician. 

Breast implants are a cosmetic issue. You had them put in for cosmetic reasons. Your breast health comes first but if there is no evidence of breast disease that needs treatment then you could choose to remove or replace your breast implants because you choose to rather than because you should or you have to. You could also consider changing the type of implant, the volume, and the positioning of the implant. Again, this is assuming that there is nothing that takes precedent in your breast tissue.