I have Meme polyurethane covered implants that are 26 years old. If there is no leak am I okay to keep in longer?

Question

I plan on getting a MRI. If there is no leak am I okay to keep in longer? They are still soft and move within the pocket. Above muscle.

Shlomo Widder, MD · Answer

Dear madam,   If you were my sister, I would have recommended to you to have your implants replaced.    There is no published human data , to my knowledge , that is associated with cancer, however Polyurethane was demonstrated to cause cancer in animals.   There is a reason why silicone was re approved for usage for breasts implants but not Polyurethane...   Why take the risk !?               All the best,                                      Dr Widder

Richard Hainer, MD · Answer

If you look at the data, implants that are 26 years old are almost always ruptured at this point. That does not mean that they necessarily need to be removed. If the breasts are soft and non-tender and you are having no problems then there is really no medical necessity to have them removed. Some patients psychologically feel uncomfortable walking around with ruptured implants. If you decide to have them removed, the procedure would be to remove the implant material and the capsules and replace them with new cohesive gel implants. Hope this helps, good luck.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

The Memes had a polyurethane surface that separated from the implants. These are old and probably best to be replaced.

Peter E. Johnson, MD · Answer

The Meme implant was much like the typical silicone gel with an added polyurethane textured coating which reduced capsular contracture significantly. Over time the polyurethane separates and fragments, though if the implant is otherwise intact on your MRI you can continue to keep them.

Marc J. Salzman, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

If they are still soft, you still like the size, and are not broken on MRI, then in my opinion, there is no reason to remove them. As old as they are, usually the polyurethane covering has separated from the implant and is now contained within the capsule. While this is not equal to being broken, because no free gel exists inside the capsule, it does make this new implant behave like a  smooth wall device. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Good luck.

I have Meme polyurethane covered implants that are 26 years old. If there is no leak am I okay to keep in longer?

Answers (5)

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