Women seeking breast augmentation cosmetic surgery are often confused about how long their breast implants may last. With conflicting information available from different sources, it can get difficult to make the right decision about your surgery.
A dedicated breast surgeon will address this question during your initial consultation to help you make a well-informed choice. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Matthias Solomon provides safe and proven cosmetic and reconstructive procedures to patients in Dallas, Frisco, Sherman, Texas, and surrounding locations.
Breast Implants have No Fixed “Shelf Life”
At first, you should understand that breast implants do not come with an expiry date and there is no certain “shelf life” for these devices. However, implant manufacturers now mostly offer a lifetime warranty on breast implants because they are confident of the quality they are producing, and data shows a very high success rate of implants.
In a research report published in 2011, the FDA said that about 20 percent of breast augmentation patients will require breast implant removal or revision plastic surgery within their first 10 years of the procedure. You may draw some reassurance from this report that at least eight out of 10 women will not require a breast revision surgery for at least 10 years or more.
Expected Longevity of Implants
In general, you can expect your breast implants to last for anywhere from 10 to 20 years, or sometimes even more. Surgical techniques and implant qualities have also dramatically improved over the last decade, and chances are that longevity and success rate of implants as of today could be significantly better than even what the 2011 FDA report reflected.
However, as a conservative estimate, you should go ahead with your primary breast augmentation with the assumption that you might require breast implant removal or replacement surgery at least once in your lifetime. A committed surgeon will give you the right recommendations during your pre-operative consultation.
How Often do You Need Implant Reviews?
If you have chosen silicone implants, the FDA recommends that you should get an MRI test done after the first two years, and thereafter every three years. This is essential because in the rare event of a silicone implant rupture, you may not even notice the damage from outside because the thick silicone gel could remain intact inside the implant shell.
In case of saline implants, such periodic testing is not necessary because if a saline implant ruptures, the implant will quickly deflate and you will come to know about it from the visible change in breast shape.
Apart from these periodic exams for silicone implants, you do not need any special testing, maintenance or reviews for your breast implants as long as you have no complications. You may want to remove or replace your implants out of personal aesthetic choice, but clinically you have no such requirement unless there is a medical complication.
Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Matthias Solomon receives patients from Dallas, Frisco, Sherman, Texas, and nearby areas for surgical and non-surgical procedures for the body, breast, and face.
For More Information Contact Us
For more information on Plastic Surgery and Non-Surgical Medical Spa Procedures and Treatments in Offices in Dallas, Frisco, Sherman, Texas and surrounding areas please contact the offices of Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Matthias Solomon by clicking here or calling 214-983-0213.
Serving patients in Highland park, University Park, Preston Hollow, McKinney, Prosper, Allen, Southlake, Denton, Irving, Flower mound, Little Elm, Fort Worth, Texas and surrounding areas.
