Breast augmentation gives you a second chance to be proud and happy with your body. For many women, it has had a hugely positive effect on their mentality and overall personality. However, this renewed happiness may not exist forever. While breast implants can last a lifetime and most of them do survive the test of time, the truth is that there is always a possibility for your implants to fail.

DO IMPLANTS LAST FOREVER?

Manufacturers of implants and plastic surgeons in and around Fort Lauderdale believe that they cannot be labeled as lifetime devices. There is always a chance for the outer shell of the breast implant to give away and when it does, you have to go through a breast implant exchange. This raises the question, “When do I need a breast implant exchange?”

Firstly, it should be noted that there is a common misconception among the ladies in Fort Lauderdale that breast implants will only function for a maximum of 10 years. Let’s get one thing clear, there is no definite lifespan for breast implants. The longevity or durability of breast implants depends on various factors. In other words, you will not require a breast implant exchange unless you experience a problem.

WHAT CAUSES IMPLANT FAILURE?

The major problem associated with the failure of a breast implant is “implant rupture”.
Implant rupture occurs mostly in saline implants. When a saline implant leaks, the saline solution is quickly absorbed by the body and the ‘deflated’ side immediately looks smaller than the intact side. Other complications may include severe deflation, capsular contracture or bottoming out.

Several large studies have shown saline implant deflation rates of around 1% at 1 year and 3% at 3 years. If this rate of saline implant failure holds true over time, one can expect that 1 out of 10 (10%) patients in Fort Lauderdale can expect a deflation in the first 10 years following augmentation. With time, the possibility of a failure increases. Implants are manmade devices after all and just like any other artificial element, they are bound to wear out at one point or another. You also need to understand that the shape and structure of your body changes over the years which makes the implant more prone to failure and makes it imperative for you to have breast implant exchange.

SHOULD YOU UPGRADE DURING BREAST IMPLANT EXCHANGE?

Many patients feel that the silicone gel implants feel more natural and choose to exchange to these if they develop a leak or do it selectively.

DO GEL IMPLANTS FAIL?

It is important to realize that gel breast implants too go through failure, but not in the same way as saline implants do. When silicone gel implants fail, the implant leak cannot be detected by looking at or feeling the augmented breast. The gel material is inert and is not absorbed by the body, so the appearance and feel of the implant does not change following rupture of the outer shell. In order to detect a gel implant rupture, a radiologic study, such as an MRI, is required.

It is important to realize that silicone gel breast implants can also leak. Because the gel is very cohesive and inert, there should be no reaction and these leaks can go undetected. The silicone gel will not go outside of the scar tissue that forms around the implant and will cause no reaction in the body. Sometimes the leak may cause the scar tissue around the implant to get hard, i.e. capsular contracture. In that instance or often a traumatic injury to the breast an MRI may be necessary to diagnose the leak. Unless there is direct trauma to the implant, a leak usually cannot be detected by manual exam. If you have a leak you will be able to get free replacement implant for the rest of your life and financial reimbursement if the leak occurs in the first ten years after implant.

One study including over 500 patients has shown a gel implant rupture rate of 0.5% at 3 years among those patients who had had a postoperative MRI scan, so the failure rate for the new cohesive gel implants appears to be no greater than what we have seen with saline implants, and may in fact be somewhat lower.