I have had breast implants for 14 years. How Long Do Breast Implants Last?

Most breast implants will last a lifetime. 

There is a common misconception that implants will only last 10 years. This is not true. If you have no problem with your implant then nothing needs to be done with them. The only reason you would change an implant is if there is a problem with them. The most common long term problem is implant rupture. The risk of a rupture is 1% a year. So the risk of having a broken implant at the end of 10 years is 10%. That means that 90 % of implants will be fine at 10 years. The other common misconception is that saline implants are more likely to rupture than gel. This is not true. The rupture rate is the same for saline and cohesive gel implants because the outer shell of both type of  implants are virtually the same .

So most women will live their whole lives with their original implants and will never require additional surgery.

To answer your question about replacing implants, ... replacement is not typically necessary unless you have a problem with your implants.  With today's devices, there is no indication to change your implants if you are happy with them and doing well.  However, if you have a diagnosis of rupture (such as yearly mammogram) or evidence of rupture on examination or some other problem such as capsular contracture or infection, implant exchange may very well be indicated.  These are concerns to see your plastic surgeon about.Regarding the painful rash and air pockets you describe, that is something to be seen for asap.   That could be something as simple as a skin rash to a serious breast infection or other possibilities.  Hope all is well.Dr. Jones

The concept that implants need to be replaced every 10 years is an Internet legend.  Time alone is no reason to change implants.  But, you talk about a rash, a feeling of air pockets, and pain.  That does deserve some evaluation, possibly with a dermatologist as well as a plastic surgeon.   Rashes may be caused by fungal infections or by irritation from breasts that are too large.  What feels like an air pocket may be  the edge of the implant. This  is more common with saline implants, but it may occur with silicone implants as well.  Best of luck!

Breast implants are not like cartons of milk, there is no expiration date. Implants do fail in time, as they are man made devices and all eventaully will.
Saline and gel devices have individual rates of failure and to make it easy average around 1% per year. This means in 20 years there is a 20% , or 1 in 5 chance of failure. At 50 years, there is a 50% chance. So just determine the odds. There is no date to change the implants, if they fail, change them.
For saline devices it is easy to know when they fail, they will deflate. Gel devices are not as easy to detect and an MRI is the best way to determine this. Patients can consider getting an MRI 7 to 10 years after augmentation to see if there is implant failure.
If you are pleased with you result, do not worry about changing implants unless there is device failure!

Most silicone and saline implants are FDA approved for 10 years. This means that you should get them replaced after 10 years. If you keep your implants longer, they can rupture, leak, deflate, and most importantly capsular contracture can occur. This means that scar tissue develops to surround the implants. Best wishes.

Most surgeons would recommend an exchange or extraction of breast implants after 10 to 15 years. However every patient is different and several conditions should be evaluated prior to making the decision to undergo a procedure.
Implants that show signs of capsular contracture (hard, round, painful) or rupture should be removed. A detailed evaluation by a plastic surgeon is important for making the right choice.

The companies that manufacture the breast implants usually have a 10-year warranty on the implants. This is one theory about where this misconception came from. But the fact is that if the implant procedure is done right, the implants can and do last much longer than that.
But there are definitely cases where the implants do need to be replaced. Here are 5 signs that you might need a breast revision.
You’re unhappy with the size – This is by far the most common reason for a breast revision. Capsular contracture – After breast augmentation, your body will form a protective scar “capsule” around the implant. Usually, the capsule is soft and gives the implant its natural, soft feel. However, in some cases, the scar capsule can harden, thicken, and start to contract on the implant. Changing shape – Silicone implants are incredibly durable so they will rarely change shape unless it’s from some kind of Saline implants, Moving – Another problem that some patients experience is the implants moving. This is called “migrating.” The implants won’t move far but it is often enough to be noticeably uneven.Rotating – While most implants are circular, there are some implants that are anatomically shaped–they typically look like a teardrop. These implants can sometimes rotate which will also make them look uneven.

Dear Realself user,The implants used today are different than those that were used 14 years ago.The ones that are used today are designed so that you do not need to replace them. I am afraid yours need to be replaced. Please make sure you see a doctor so you can be sure.Best of luck,
TAS Aesthetic Surgery Clinic

Thank you for your question. In general, I tell patients to expect about 10 years out of a pair of breast implants. They can certainly last a lot longer than this, even a lifetime, but most data points to having to replace implants at about 10 years on average. If there are no implant related problems, however (like rupture, contracture, desire for different size) there is no need to change an implant simply becuase 10 years have passed.

One of the common myths about
breast implants is that they need to changed every 10 years. This is definitely
NOT TRUE. As long as your implants/breasts continue to look and feel good,
nothing needs to change. So potentially they could last a lifetime. However, your body will continue to change over time
implants or not - time, gravity, weight fluctuations, pregnancy, breast
feeding, lifestyle, genetics etc.....things will change. So for these reasons,
you may wish to have further surgery at some later date. Also large breasted women, whether they are natural or
implants, gravity is far less kind to them than smaller breasted women. So it's
really important to always wear good supportive bras all the time, except for
those odd occasions that warrant no bra. You support them as much as possible,
and they'll look after you as long as possible. Yes, things such as rupture and capsular contracture can also occur and these may also warrant further surgery but these affect only a small percentage of women and are unpredictable.

Thank you for your question! Breast implants do not need to be exchanged unless there is a reason to suspect that something may be wrong with them, ie. rupture. Another reason to exchange your implants would be if you are unhappy with the size and would like to increase or decrease the volume. If you are content with the size of your breasts and feel fine, then there is no reason to exchange your implants.