How common is Breast Implant rejection?

Question

Hi how common is it for breast implant rejection ? is this something to be very worried about ? To even not go through with the surgery ? Feeling very scared .?

Christopher J. Morea, MD · Answer

This is a controversial topic. I have been a plastic surgeon for over 18 years and have augmented over 10,000 breasts and I have never seen a breast implant rejection.

Peter J. Capizzi, MD · Answer

I agree with those surgeons below.  Most often when women ask me about "rejection" they are referring to something similar to an organ being rejected and losing the implant.  Rejection in my experience does not occur; however, infection can result in loss of an implant.  Although this is a rare occurrence it can happen.

Mennen T. Gallas, MD · Answer

Your body will not "reject" an breast implant because it is not living tissue.  There are complications that sometimes require an implant to be removed such as infection, but these complications are rare.

Peter Callan, MBBS, FRACS, MBA · Answer

Thanks Jane"Rejection" is a very specific medical term which applies to the body developing an "immune reaction" to something, usually biological material.  Silicone is an inert material so it does not reject.  You can lose implants or have to have them removed for other reasons but that is rare.  The other surgeons' answers are a great guide.I hope this helps.

Naveen Somia, MBBS, PhD, FRACS · Answer

Dear JaneThanks for your question.Breast Implants do not get rejected by your body in the same way as a transplanted kidney gets rejected.This is because the implant is not living tissue and is made up of Silicone. Your body reacts to the breast implant by producing a very small amount of scarring around it. If there is excessive scarring it is called a capsular contracture and fortunately is rare.There is no substitute for finding a well qualified and skilled Plastic Surgeon who can take proper steps to avoid a capsular contracture.Hope you find this useful.

Matthew H. Steele, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  Because implants are not living tissue, they cannot be "rejected" in the sense that a kidney is rejected or cadaver skin is rejected.   All implants have a silicone shell.  Silicone is made from silicon which is in the same family of elements as carbon.  Because of this, silicone is very biocompatible and almost all medical devices have some sort of silicone component.  Because it is a foreign device, your body will form a scar capsule around the device.  This is completely normal and happens with plastic, metal, or ceramic implants.  Reasons you may lose your implant are related to problems like infection, nonhealing wounds with implant exposure, or capsule contracture.  It is normal to have some anxiety about your  surgery, but implant rejection is nothing to be worried about. I  would make sure you discuss with your PS to make sure you feel comfortable and confident about your decision to proceed with surgery.Best wishes

Lee E. Corbett, MD · Answer

Your body cannot "reject" an implant as it is not living tissue. Rejection is a reaction to something like a kidney transplant where your immune system attacks living tissue because that organ is not labeled with the markers that your body uses to identify you as you. With an implant you can experience an infection that could necessitate removal or you could experience capsular contracture which might call for more surgery. So there are potential problems but rejection is not one of them.

Joseph W. Aguiar, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Rejection of the implant is something that does not happen.  The silicone used in the outer shell of the implant is medical grade silicone that has been studied and proven to be safe for the body.  (Breast implants are the most studied medical device in the world).An extremely rare scenario of implant infection can require that the implant be removed.  When breast augmentation is performed by a board certified plastic surgeon in an accredited surgery center, infection is extremely rare.I take extra precautions during surgery to reduce the risk of infection.  My patients have never had an implant infection, but I have seen them from unqualified doctors who are performing surgery in unsterile environments.

How common is Breast Implant rejection?

Answers (8)

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