Do breast implants need to be replaced every 10 years?

It is not absolutely necessary to replace breast implants after 10 years. If you are happy with the size and position, you may very well keep them in and get many more years of life out of them. Breast Implants don't expire, but eventually the surrounding shell will break. Women who have sagging, asymmetry, positioning problems, pain or hard capsules surrounding the implants may wish to replace the implants sooner. I tell my patients the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". 

Thank you for your question. It's important to know that implants do not require replacement simply because you've had them for a certain amount of time. Implants can last indefinitely, but most women should plan to have some type of surgery every 10 to 15 years. This may include a size change, changing from saline to silicone, or replacement after rupture. Saline implants have a 10% risk of rupture over 10 years. The latest silicone-gel implants have a 2.5% rupture risk over nine years. If things are going well, and there is no implant rupture, then I recommend not having any surgery at all.

As a mater of fact it is a common misconception that implants will only last 10 years. Most of the plastic surgeons will not be eager to change breast implants unless you have some certain problems such as capsular contracture, significant fluid accumulation etc. Most of the implants, regardless of the shape are filled by cohesive silicone which has the advantage that not migrating even if the the implant is broken. The implant manufacturers do not consider implants as 'lifetime devices' as the possibility exists that over time the outer shell will fail. But over 90 percent of implants outer shell are not failing based on the recent statistics.So implants only need to be removed if they are broken or if there is an infection.There are two cases when the implants are need to be replaced - implant capsular rupture or implant migration due to ageing and gravity).Thus they can be changed when you have some problems appeared with the time, like rupture, or migration, or size, or bottoming out, Not all the patients will need to have more than one surgery, just those who need smth to be improved.Hope this helps.

Implants should be replaced when there is a problem.  Deflation, capsular contracture, implant malposition, and problems with size are all legitimate reasons to replace the implants.  

Implants do not have to be replaced every 10 years contrary to what any people believe. Implants only need to be replaced when there is a problem with them. Insurance will cover the cost of your surgery if there is a complication related to it however insurance will probably not cover the cost of a new implant. You should make sure what is covered with your insurance provider.

         This is a commonly
asked question and frequent source of confusion amongst patients. There is a
general misconception that breast implants should be replaced every ten years.
The origen of this belief is unclear, but is probably secondary to
misinterpretation of implant warranty terminology.

 

         The manufacturers of
breast implants clearly state that these devices are not intended to last a
lifetime, despite this, many patients can expect to have implants last their
entire lifetime. Current studies suggest that implants deflate at a rate of one
percent at one year and three percent at three years. Overtime, this number can
be expected to grow.

 

         Implants may deflate
with no apparent cause or may deflate secondary to some type of trauma. Under
these circumstances, the decision to replace implants is easy. If a patient is
doing well and not having problems with breast implants, we see no reason to
routinely replace implants just because a set time period has passed.

 

         Although, insurance
doesn’t generally cover the cost of implant replacement, these devices do come
with a warranty. In some cases, extended warranties can be purchased as well.
When implants deflate, the warranty usually covers the cost of replacement. 

Implants are not permanent devices.  Most things that we place in the body at some point need to be replaced.  Having said that, there is not an automatic trigger.  If the breasts are soft and in good shape, and the implants are intact, most would leave them alone.  Silicone leaks are hard to appreciante clinically, and so an MRI is used for detection. 

Hi,
Thank you for your question!
There is no expiration date on implants so it is hard to say when or if they will ever need to be replaced. As long as you have no signs of deflation, capsular contracture, or any other problematic issues with your breasts, they may never need to be replaced. It is important, especially if you have silicone implants, to get a regular mammogram or MRI to make sure everything is ok. Other than that, if you are not experiencing any problems with the implant, and they still look good to you as time passes by, then there is no need to replace them.
Insurance will usually not cover the implant replacement procedure as it is usually determined to be cosmetic. However, most implants come with a warranty, so the cost of the implant might be covered if the implant is leaking.

I don't know where this rumor got started but many paitents iqnuire about this.
My general feeling is the old saying: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!".
The question is: how do you know if it's broke?
That is a more difficult quesiton to answer. Salines usually deflate and anyone can make the diagnosis. Current silicone implants tend to maintain their volume and shape making it extremely difficult to detect. This has prompted the FDA to make the 3 year and 2 year thereafter MRI recommendation

We don't really know the life span of implants. Obviously this depends on many factors including the implant material itself and the person's biology, scarring, etc.
Recently I had two patients come in requesting implant exchange because they reached the ten year mark. Both had their surgery in California and were told by their surgeons that these must be removed and exchanged in ten years. Both women were very nervous because they passed the deadline.
Both looked very good, natural and soft. All they needed was reassurance and education about the implants. They left happy and relieved that there's no medical reason to have the implants removed. They also saved an unnecessary expense.