Timing of Breast Implant Replacement After Staph Infection?

Six months should be long enough to wait to replace an implant after infection.  In general, anywhere from 3-6 months should be safe in an unfortunate situation such as this one.  Luckily, infections are rare after a breast augmentation and when they do present, the implant can usually be salvaged with antibiotics.  But if the infection does not resolve, removing the implant is sometimes the only option.  When replacing the implant, care should be taken to minimize any risk of contamination (as with any augmentation).  The implant as well as the breast should be thoroughly irrigated with antibiotic solution.  Also, you may consider having the implant placed in a different position in the breast.  This decision should be made with your plastic surgeon and will depend somewhat on the details of your original infection. 

Unfortunately, we occasionally see patients who
develop infection following breast augmentation surgery.Although this complication is relatively
rare, it occasionally occurs and usually always requires removal of breast
implants.When
this situation arises, surgeons delay implant replacement for at least six
months following the eradication of the infection.This not only allows adequate time for the
body to eliminate bacteria, but also allows adequate time for swelling and
inflammation to resolve as well.This
helps soften the breast tissue and ultimately helps the aesthetic result
following re-augmentation surgery.When
patients undergo re-augmentation, it’s important that prophylactic antibiotics
be utilized.These antibiotics should be
specific to the cultured bacterial sensitivities.In addition, it’s important to involve
infectious disease consultants in the pre- and post-operative care of patients
who have lost implants secondary to infection.When
these steps are taken to optimize patient care, reinfection rates are
relatively low.Unfortunately, even when
these steps are taken, there still remains some risk of recurrent infection.

There is no hardfast rule to waiting, however, it would seem statistically fruitful to wait at least six months to ensure that your body has minimized the source of infection.  I would personally advise you to wait the full six months at the very least.