Breast implant for lifetime or needs to be changed out still? Got Gummy bears with nano chip.

The simple answer is: you need to change them, when you need to change them! There is no specific time that you need to change your breast implants. If everything is going well, you are happy with the result of your augmentation and do not identify any issues, you can keep your breast implants and for as long as you like. However, if certain changes occur that are concerning for the implant, an implant removal or exchange should be considered. Such changes include capsular contracture, the desire for different size or shape implant, the potential for implant rupture, breast shape changes, etc. I have seen implants changed in as little as three months after an initial augmentation and as late as 30 years after an augmentation. Traditional teaching notes that implants are not lifelong devices. With this newer generation of breast implants, that mantra may be changed, however we will have to wait and see! Whatever you do, it is critical that you be seen by a surgeon who is certified by the American Board of plastic surgery and has significant experience with breast revision surgery. I wish you the best. Dr. Gabbay.

Hello,
Both your sister's and your doctor are wrong. There is no 20 year time limit, nor are they lifetime devices. MRI or high definition ultrasound should be used to assess the implants integrity at some regular interval. Implants can rupture as soon as a few years, or last decades. Best of luck.

There is no particular time frame for changing out your implants.  They are changed if there is a break in the shell or some other issue.  The current recommendation by the FDA is that an MRI is performed within 3 years of the breast surgery and then every 2 years after. The plastic surgery society felt that that was too any MRIs and the false negative would be high resulting in removal of perfectly good implants.  Therefore the society feels that an MRI is warranted in 7-10 years.  If there is an issue with them on MRI then they are changed out.Hope that helps.

Thank you for sharing your question.  The previous teaching was that every ten years implants needed to be exchanged for an increased risk of rupture.  With today's implants no replacement needs to be performed unless you have an issue with them.  Hope this helps.

Dearlisatran32084,
breast implants don't have an exact date when they should be exchanged. If there are no issues with then, then there is no reason to remove them. If I'm not wrong, nano chips can be found in breast implants used in Asia (South Korea) and they are used to signalize when there is something wrong with the implant. At the moment there is no FDA approved breast implants with nano chips which are used in the USA:  
Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

Breast implants do not last a lifetime. Most patients switch out for various reasons 10 to 20 years later. It’s interesting to hear about your nano chip. Good luck. 

The short answer: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.The newer generation silicone implants are manufactured with cohesive gel, which stays together better than the old fashioned first generation silicone implants did. The reasons many patients still get implants exchanged around 10-15 years after their first surgery can include:1. The implants have leakage/rupture or capsular contracture causing symptoms or distortion of the shape2. The patient has had children since her breast augmentation and now needs a lift and possible size change on the implants3. The patient has some other cosmetic concern that could be improved with implant revision4. The patient has certain now-banned implants in place and may have some warranty coverage for removal and replacementOtherwise, if the implants are soft, the results look good, and no symptoms are present, they are unlikely to require replacement. MRI timing has been explained well by other respondents. Thanks.

Thank you for your question. It seems that neither of you really got the best advice, although I've never heard of "nano chip" as it relates to any implants that are available in the U.S. The standard recommendation for any breast implant is that there is no set time at which an implant needs to be removed/replaced. As long as it is functioning well and you are happy with it, then all is well. However, you should be having at least yearly exams by your surgeon, continuing with routine mammograms, doing self-breast examination daily, and an MRI was recommended at 3 years out from surgery and then every 2 years after that. I hope that helps clarify things.