Previously reported prevalence rates of BII-like symptoms include postoperative rheumatic symptoms in 37.4% of cases,21 the development of a pattern of systemic complaints in more than 65% cases,22 and 3 or more BII symptoms in 38.5% to 84.7% of women with breast implants.
Between 2% and 12% of patients with silicone implants experience rupturing. While silicone and saline implants can both rupture, silicone tends to keep its shape and stay in place.
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.
Know the Long-Term Risks of Breast Implants
The FDA has identified an association between breast implants and the development of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
To date, the FDA says it is aware of fewer than 20 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and fewer than 30 cases of various lymphomas in the capsule—the fibrous scar tissue that forms around the implant and keeps it in place.
Breast implant illness is rare and should not cause concern in women who have implants and feel fine. Currently, an estimated 50 million women worldwide have breast implants and about 300,000 women choose to have breast augmentation each year in the United States alone. Most do not develop any concerning symptoms.
On average, today's implants are designed to last more than a decade, with the chance of rupture increasing by one percent each year. So, the older your implants are, the greater your risk of rupture or other complications. In many cases, breast implants can remain in good shape for 20 years or more.
BII symptoms can appear any time after implant surgery — some people start to develop breast implant illness symptoms immediately, while some develop them years later. A lot of the symptoms of BII are associated with autoimmune and connective tissue disorders, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma.
Both saline and silicone breast implants are considered safe. Research on how safe both types of implants are and how well they work is ongoing.
Can you test for breast implant illness? Unfortunately, there is currently no diagnostic test specific to BII. That means doctors must use a process of elimination to see if BII is a possibility. Diagnostic testing for autoimmune diseases is the first step.
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.
Over time, your breast tissue will soften and make the implants look and feel normal. In rare cases, the breasts may not heal together. One may feel softer than the other. If this continues six months after the procedure, visit your plastic surgeon.
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.
After a breast augmentation, the primary life change patients see is a noticeably more voluminous, contoured, and perkier breast appearance. As a result of more prominent breasts, some patients' body proportions become more balanced, which can help accentuate other areas like the body's figure.
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.
Affected patients typically experience some combination of fatigue, myalgia, joint pain, sicca syndrome (dry eyes and mouth), synovitis, rash, alopecia, muscular weakness or lymphadenopathy, and autoantibody formation.
And although they are still quite popular, the number of breast augmentation surgeries has decreased in the last few years while the number of explants has risen, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said.
Placing implants over the chest muscle is a slightly easier procedure with a slightly shorter recovery. Women who have implants placed over the muscle tend to have less post-operative discomfort because the chest muscle is not manipulated during surgery.
“As an implant gets older, the outer shell can lose strength and leak,” Dr. Djohan says. “When the integrity of the outer shell deteriorates, the implant is more easily broken.”
It is important to be aware: breast implants are not intended to be lifelong devices and most breast implants need replacement or removal within 10-15 years of initial insertion.
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.
Breast implants don't last a lifetime. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends that people with breast implants have them removed or replaced every 10 to 15 years. However, your plastic surgeon may not recommend that you have them removed if you haven't had any complications.