Does the Expiration Date on the Implants Mean Shelf Life or Removal Before This Date is Up?

Thank you for the question.

The date printed on the breast implant box ( expiration date)  refers to shelf life  of the breast implant. There is no “removal date” of breast symptoms;  generally speaking, "if they ain't broke, we don't fix them”.

Best wishes.

You can keep your silicone implants for as long as they don't cause any problems. While the risk of rupture increases the longer you have them, you don't need to have them replaced if it's not necessary. The expiration date on the box refers to their shelf life, rather than when the implants actually expire.

They do not have an expiration date once implanted but there are FDA recommendations for surveillance and potential replacement every 13 years. That said, most people do not replace them like a regular maintainance schedule and there are no ill effects. The expiration date on a sealed box is more related to a implant sitting on the shelf in a sterile packaging.