people with breast implants are recommended to regularly self-examine their breasts and see their GP or surgeon every 12 months for a clinical review to assess for complications or other concerns.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GET BREAST IMPLANT CHECKS? The FDA recommends having silicone implants screened via MRI three years after your breast augmentation surgery and every two years after that.
You should always follow your plastic surgeon's guidelines for annual checkups, as well as performing regular self-checks. If you have silicone implants, the FDA recommends getting an MRI 5-6 years after the initial surgery and then every 2-3 years after that.
They can rupture or leak, and saline implants may deflate. Capsular contracture may also occur, which is shrinkage of natural scar tissue that your body produces around any implanted medical device. This may result in firm or hard breasts or a deformity which you can feel or see.
Most silicone and saline implants are FDA approved for 10-20 years, but this does not mean that you have to get them replaced every 10-20 years. You can safely go beyond these time frames, and most patients only have to have 1-2 replacements in their lifetime.
Contour: As the breasts lose shape, the breast contours can also appear flatter and more “deflated” when compared to the round, “perky” contours characteristic of a youthful bustline. Volume: The fullness and volume of the breasts can diminish due to any combination of aging, gravity, pregnancy, or weight fluctuation.
Breast implants are made of an outer silicone shell and filled with either saline or silicone gel. As the years go by, an implant may rupture or shift, depending on the implant's shell texture or fill material. Saline ruptures are easier to spot as the size of the breast visibly decreases.
While breast implants do not have an expiration date, they also don't last a lifetime. Saline or silicone implants typically last for around 10 to 15 years. Up to 20% of women have their implants removed or replaced within 10 years.
Women who choose breast augmentation with implants should be prepared to keep up with their regular annual checkups, as well as perform self-checks to ensure the devices are still intact. A ruptured saline implant, for instance, should deflate relatively quickly—over several days, at most.
Women who have silicone gel-filled implants need to get regular mammogram screenings yearly plus an MRI or ultrasound scan five to six years after the initial implant surgery and every two to three years after that to check for silent rupture.
Symptoms may include fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, dry eyes and many other health concerns. Healthcare providers diagnose BII by ruling out other health conditions. Breast implant illness treatment involves removing the implants. Many people see improvement in their symptoms soon after implant removal.
More than 100 symptoms have been associated with breast implant illness, including headaches, fatigue, and gastrointestinal problems. Symptoms can occur with any type of breast implants and can start immediately after implantation or years later.
Implants usually require very little maintenance. Patients should be aware, though, that the best care for their breast health is done by getting MRI's and having a post-surgery implant exam with their surgeon.
After 10 years of an initial breast augmentation, 1 out of 5 patients need some sort of revision procedure. That means 20% of patients need another operation due to excess scarring inside the breast (capsular contracture), broken implant etc. That also means that 80% of the patients are doing fine at 10 years.
Overview of aging with breast implants
For many people, their breast implants last their entire lives. While these devices can lose some of their strength over time, there is no rule that says breast implants are only ever good for 10 years. Additionally, the breasts will sag and become thinned out in many cases.
The FDA does not consider breast implants to be lifetime devices. However, there's anecdotal evidence of women keeping their implants longer than 25 years. Implants can last indefinitely if the patient is still satisfied.
Signs that your silicone implant has ruptured can include changes in breast shape and size, and increasing pain, firmness, and swelling over a period of weeks. Rupture can also cause capsular contracture. Silicone implant rupture that doesn't cause any noticeable symptoms is known as “silent rupture.”
Yes. If you have silicone breast implants, an ultrasound can diagnose a breast implant rupture. Common symptoms of a rupture include changes in the shape and size of the breast, firmness, swelling, and increasing pain. Sometimes, a breast implant rupture does not trigger any noticeable symptoms.
Myth: Implants can rupture during a mammogram screening.
Fact: It's rare to experience a rupture during a screening. The chances are even lower when you choose a facility that routinely screens women with implants.
An MRI is the only way to definitively confirm silicone implant ruptures and a surgeon generally cannot confirm one by an in-person exam alone.
Breast Implants Will Settle into Place
Sagging will happen over time as the breast tissue begins aging. The larger the implants are, the quicker sagging will occur. However, breast augmentation surgery results will make breasts look great for many years, and sagging is not imminent until 10+ years later in most cases.
What is the Longest Time Implants Have Lasted in a Woman? The person with the same implants in for the longest time is Timmie Jean Lindsey. She got the silicone implants placed in 1962 by Dr Frank Gerow in Texas. The implants are still in place over 58 years later!
As we age, our skin's collagen production slows, making our skin more prone to loosening and sagging. Breasts with implants are more prone to sagging caused by the excess weight in the implant and from the natural effects of aging.