There is no single timeline that determines when breast implants should be replaced. While some patients pursue breast implant revision because of implant-related concerns, others choose revision because their bodies, preferences, or aesthetic goals have changed over time.
Many patients wonder when they should replace their implants. Is it necessary every 10 years? If you’re wondering if there’s a “right” time for breast implant revision, keep scrolling for valuable insights!
WARNING:
This feature contains nudity. Please click OK to confirm you are at least 18 years of age and are not offended by such material.
How Long Do Breast Implants Last?
Breast implants are not considered lifetime devices, but there is no universal recommendation that they be automatically replaced after 10 years. Some patients may need revision sooner because of implant-related concerns or changes in their goals, while others may keep their implants much longer without issues.
How Do You Know It’s Time for Breast Implant Exchange?
When patients learn there is no set expiration for their breast implants, their next question is usually, “So, what are the hard reasons I should have my implants exchanged or undergo a revision?” As a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive breast implant expertise, here are some signs I encourage you to pay attention to:
Implant Rupture
Over time, friction weakens the shell, and the contents may leak out. With saline implants, the saline is reabsorbed by your body and excreted, so you will know almost immediately if there is a leak. With silicone implants, that is a different story. If silicon implants rupture, your body cannot pick up and carry the silicone around your body. Instead, the contents leak out, and your body walls them off. You may experience increased pain, firmness, or potentially nothing at all.
Your annual mammogram or breast MRI will detect rupture 93% to 98% of the time. Is this harmful to you medically? The answer is no, based on all the implant studies in the scientific literature. How often does this happen? About 8% to 10% of silicone implants rupture after 10 years, and 13% for saline implants.
Capsular Contracture
When there is a foreign body placed inside you, it forms a wall around it. This is called a capsule. It is formed 2 to 3 weeks after your breast implants are inserted. Typically, it is soft, and you would not know it was there.
Capsular contracture, or capcon, is when this capsule becomes firm to the touch, painful, or makes the breasts look weird (typically, the implants are pulled upward). This occurs at a rate of 1% a year. The exact etiology is unknown, but the most commonly accepted theory is that the breast implant becomes colonized with bacteria (not infection). Since your body cannot climb on the foreign body to eradicate the bacteria, it forms a thickened, calcified wall around the implant.
Evolving Aesthetic Preferences
This reason is the most common in our practice. This may occur shortly after the primary surgery or, in some cases, 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years after the initial breast augmentation. You may be in a different place in life and want to be bigger, smaller, or the same size. (You can learn more about finding the right breast implants to fit your lifestyle in our related blog post.)
The implants may have stretched out the pocket, and now the implants lateralize—go into your armpit when lying down—or have bottomed out. Your breast shape may have changed with pregnancy and lactation or weight loss or gain. Whatever the reason, you deserve to feel beautiful and confident in your own skin.
Our breast implant exchange patients say they feel more confident, comfortable, and aligned with their current aesthetic goals. Browse our breast revision before-and-after photos to see how this transformative procedure restores or enhances breast shape, size, and overall harmony with the body.
What’s Next?
The best way to determine whether it’s the right time for you to explore your breast implant revision options is to arrange a one-on-one consultation at our Frisco, TX, plastic surgery practice. I encourage you to request a consultation with me using our online form or by calling us at (214) 937-4879. Let’s help you achieve the look you love and live your best lifestyle!
Leave a Reply