Which Breast Implants Are Most Likely to Last a Lifetime?

Patients and surgeons spend way too much time focusing on "implant failure" as a leading cause of revision breast surgery, but it is not. In fact, implant breakage is not even among the top 10 reasons that women undergo a second operation.

The most common reasons have to do with drooping, size change, scar tissue, implant malposition, and others.

Those are not avoided with any particular implant, nor are they caused by any specific implant.

They are avoided by good preoperative education, a sound surgical plan, exacting conduct of the surgery, and excellent postoperative care.

As an example, in a study of the new generation of the so-called "gummy bear" implants, the total 3 year reoperation rate for all patients in the study was 13.9%. However, one surgeon in the study, using the same implants, did 50 consecutive cases with 0% reops. Why? It wasn't the implant. It was how he used them.

You need to realize that an implant is not a lifetime device. At the same time, you need to reailze that your expectations and the surgical plan you decide upon has a far greater impact on the likelihood of your needing another operation than the implant itself.

Find a surgeon conversant in the issues that I have brought up here...if your surgeon doesn't understand what that surgeon did in the 50 consecutive with no reops, how will he or she know how to reduce your likelihood of a reop?

There is no one implant that will consistently outlast another, as there are too many variables leading to revision surgery. The most common reason for implant revision is malposition or droopiness of the breast. In these cases, the implant has not been compromised at all. The factors that do increase longevity of your implants are choosing the implant appropriately in terms of the size and match to your anatomy. Generally, larger implants are revised more often than smaller implants. 

When considering breast augmentation surgery it's important to know that most women will have a procedure every 10-15 years. This is usually from a revision or size change that isn't related to rupture. Implants can last a lifetime, but have a rupture risk of about 0.5-1% per year. Overall, you get best results when you find a surgeon who who is experienced. Also, look for someone who will take the time to fully discuss the pros and cons of breast augmentation surgery, implant sizes and shapes, the procedure and the expected recovery.

Average lifespan of a breast implant is about 12 years. This is true for both silicone or saline implants regardless if they are smooth or textured. If you are getting implants, you should have the expectation that they are not life long devices and that they most likely will need replacement in the future. However, you just might be one of the lucky patients who never have a problem, and your implants might last a lifetime.

There are no implants on the market that I am aware of that last a lifetime. The manufacturers of breast implants have dramatically improved their design over the years. This, along with the government (FDA) scrutiny of these implants (twenty years), offers the physician and the consumer a wider variety of safe, long lasting implants to chose from.

Unfortunately, we still see some implants, whether they be silicone or saline, fail early after surgery. This may occur for a variety of reasons. The manufacturer is, however, very supportive in these situations and several warranty issues are available; humorously, quite similar to those offered for tires in the automotive industry.



Overall, in todays market, you should know that safe, long-lasting, well-designed implants are available for your aesthetic and reconstructive needs.