If you’re considering Breast Implant Surgery or perhaps already have implants, you may be keen to know how long Breast Implants last. There are a lot of facts — and fallacies — around the subject, so it pays to be informed.

For example, there is a common myth that Breast Implants need to be replaced every 10 years, but this is not the case. The lifespan of implants depends on many variables. In this article, we’ll discuss these variables, give you tips on how to look after your implants — and tell you what to look out for if you’re concerned there may be something wrong with your implants.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this article.

What are the signs that my implants need to be replaced?
Different types of Breast Implants & their durability
How do you know if your Breast Implants have ruptured?
How to extend the lifespan of your implants
how can I find out what type of implant I’ve had?
Breast implant replacement surgery options
Implant replacement surgery: how it will affect you

Today’s Breast Implants are incredibly durable and resilient. However, Breast Implants are not expected to last a lifetime, with most implants needing to be replaced at some point. Manufacturers typically provide a lifespan of around 10 to 15 years, but this is just an estimate. (And manufacturers want to be conservative with their estimations.) Some implants will need to be replaced before this estimated time, while others will last well over 20 years.

What are the signs that my implants need to be replaced?

Sometimes, physical changes occur in or around your implants, which may require surgical intervention — this is known as breast revision surgery. Such changes may include:

A noticeable puckering or wrinkling of the implant
A change in breast size, shape or symmetry
Breast pain
Capsular contracture (an unusually hard ‘capsule’ of scar tissue that starts to harden and contract around the implant)
Implant rupture
Excessive sagging of the breast

At other times, individuals choose to have their implants removed or replaced due to personal or lifestyle reasons, such as pregnancy, different life stages, a change in aesthetic preferences, drastic weight changes — or simply gravity has taken its toll on the appearance of their implants. Simply put, our lives and bodies constantly evolve; consequently, what was once appropriate may no longer be so.

Different types of Breast Implants & their durability

The only difference in the durability and lifespan of implants is the materials. It’s vital to note that both silicone and saline implants can rupture.

According to a retrospective analysis of 72 ruptured Breast Implants completed in 2014, saline implants had a shorter average duration of rupture, with rupture diagnosis at an average life span of 5.6 years. The silicone implants ruptured after an average lifespan of 12 years.

How do you know if your Breast Implants have ruptured?

Here’s what to look out for if you think your implants may have ruptured:

Silicone implant ruptures: Ruptures are more challenging to detect with silicone implants, as the silicone material doesn’t move far and stays within the capsule the surgeon creates when placing the implants. Therefore, you might not notice any changes in the look or feel of your breasts. In fact, most implant ruptures do not cause any issues and are typically referred to as “silent”, and are often discovered whilst the breasts are being investigated for other reasons. This is one of the reasons why routine monthly breast self assessments are important.

Saline implant ruptures: You can usually notice the effects of saline implant rupture quite quickly. This is because saline implants are filled with sterile salt water, which is soon harmlessly absorbed by the body. Consequently, one breast may suddenly appear ‘deflated’.

How to extend the lifespan of your implants

Although we can never guarantee how long a Breast Implants will last, there are things you can do though to care for your implants, such as:

Always wear a supportive bra
Maintain a stable body weight

Additionally, we recommend you look for any changes in your breasts (and implants). Whether someone has implants or not, it is recommended that every female performs monthly routine breast self assessments. If anything changes at any stage, then a review by your general practitioner would be required to dertemine if any further investigations such as ultrasounds are mammograms are required. Beyond routine self assessments, and age specific routine breast cancer screening, Dr Dona does not recommend any routine annual breast scans to review the implants. If you develop any breast implant changes, you can then discuss them with your surgeon to see if they warrant removal or replacement.

How can I find out what type of implants I’ve had?

If you have Breast Implants but are unsure of the type you received, there are several ways you can find out your implant type:

Contact your original surgeon (This also applies if you’ve had your implants placed overseas.)
Call the hospital where you had your surgery (Again, this occurs if your implants were placed overseas) and ask to speak to the medical records department.
Contact the Breast Implant Registry (BIR) if your surgery was before 2015 or the Australian Breast Device Registry (ABDR) if your surgery was after 2015.
- BIR: Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) on (02) 9437 9200 or bir@plasticsurgery.org.au
- ABDR: (03) 9903 0205 or 1800 998 722 or abdr@monash.edu

Breast Implant replacement surgery options

If the old implants need to be removed for whatever reasons, then you will have two options:

Remove and replace with new implants
Remove without replacement – Explant Surgery

Both of these surgical options may also be associated with the need for a breast lift, and this will depend on the degree of changes to your breats tissue over time and your aesthetic preferences.

Whether you need explant or replacement surgery, the surgical principals will be relatively similar and require the same amount of downtime.

Both procedures require surgery under general anaesthetic and you can go home the same day. During your surgery, the surgeon makes an incision point to remove the existing implants. If your original incision scar was under the breast, the surgeon typically uses this incision point to open the capsule and remove the implant. However, if your original incision point was under the armpit or around your areolar, the surgeon will likely create a new incision in the breast fold to remove the implant.

The surgeon will then remove your old implants. If you’ve had capsular contracture, the surgeon may also have to remove the breast implant capsule (scar tissue around the implant).

Dr Dona prefers to place all implants partially under the muscle, so if you require new implants, he may create a new implant pocket. Dr Dona recommends that all individuals opting for replacement surgery have silicone implants as they are more durable, last longer, and are more natural feeling.

Implant replacement surgery: what to expect

Here’s a quick summary of how implant removal or replacement will affect your everyday life in the immediate and short-term future:

Hospital: day surgery
Anaesthesia: general anaesthetic
Time off work: 1 to 2 weeks
Time before driving: 1 to 2 weeks
Time wearing a supportive garment: 6 weeks
Time before resuming exercise: 6 weeks
Scars: if your original scar was under your breast, your scar will likely be in the same place. However, if your original incision was under the armpit or around your areola, your surgeon may create a new incision in the breast crease.

References

NSW Health: Information for People with Breast Implants

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/implants/Pages/breast-implants.aspx

A Retrospective Analysis of Ruptured Breast Implants

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4228218/

Breast Implants have come a long way. Today there’s an enormous variety of sizes, profiles, textures and shapes, although only two materials are used: silicone and saline. So, if you’re considering implants, and the ‘silicone versus saline Breast Implants’ conundrum is running through your mind, we hope this article will help you.

Before we dive in, you may find it comforting to know that both materials used today are heavily regulated by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA). So, you can rest assured that no matter what you choose, both substances are safe in your body.

At Bella Plastic Surgery, Dr Eddy Dona exclusively uses silicone implants as he considers them far superior for numerous reasons. In a moment, we’ll explain why Dr Dona prefers silicone and discuss the differences between silicone and saline implants.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this article.

Previous breast augmentation materials
Silicone implants – essential info
Saline implants – essential info
What happens if a Breast Implant ruptures?
What are the best Breast Implants?
Safety concerns

Previous breast augmentation materials

Breast Implants have been used for decades. So it’s vital to note that if you’ve heard the odd disaster story, it’s likely due to older-style implants surgically placed long ago, using outdated techniques.

Today, Breast Implant surgery is the most common surgical procedure in the world, and results are far more realistic and durable than in the experimental days of decades past.

Experiments with breast enlargement began in the nineteenth century when somewhat cavalier doctors injected paraffin wax into women’s breasts. This disastrous surgery left patients susceptible to infections, uncomfortable lumps and bumps and even triggered cancers.

In the early twentieth century, more dubious experimentation took place. Various ineffective and carcinogenic materials such as Vaseline, rubber, olive oil, silicone oil, sponges, ox cartilage glass — and even snake venom were inserted into the breasts — with disastrous and sometimes fatal results.

Fortunately, surgeons moved away from such crude practices with the invention of the silicone Breast Implant by Cronin and Gerow in 1962.

Let’s look at the two different Breast Implant materials used today.

Silicone Breast Implants

Silicone Breast Implants have been used for over 60 years and continue to be the most popular choice for breast augmentation in Australia and across the globe. Why so? They are soft to the touch, longer-lasting, and appear more natural-looking with a more natural curvature — and when it comes to Breast Implant durability, they are far superior.

Both silicone and saline implants have an outer silicone shell. However, silicone implants have an inert polymer gel suitable for long-term use in the body. Because it is a gel (not a water-based solution), it moves differently and feels more like natural breast tissue.

Any breast implant can rupture; however, the risk of spontaneous rupture or leaking is much lower compared to saline implants — or the older version of silicone implants. It’s also important to understand that your Breast Implants sit in a pocket created by your surgeon and your body will always form a scar tissue capsule around the implantSo, if a leak occurs in today’s newer gel implants, it typically won’t spread beyond the implant capsule – these are referred to as intracapsular ruptures.

Silicone implants are also inserted differently from saline implants. A slightly larger incision is required, and they are inserted as a whole into a pocket created by the surgeon. In contrast, saline implants are inserted as deflated balloons, and once the empty balloon is in position, it is inflated with saline. Therefore, this can be done via a smaller incision.

Saline Breast Implants

Saline Breast Implants (or expanders) are often popular with patients undergoing breast reconstruction. This is because it’s possible to adjust the implant size after surgery. Using an injection port (months after the initial procedure), the surgeon can adjust the amount of fluid to reach the desired volume. The port is then surgically removed. This is typically changes at a later date for a permanent silicone breast implant of equal volume.

The downside with saline Breast Implants is that they don’t feel as natural as silicone implants. It’s easy to see the folds of the saline implant — known as ‘rippling’ — particularly if the patient has thin skin or little breast tissue.

Saline implants also have a higher chance of rupturing. One study that reviewed 72 implants removed for implant rupture indicated that rupture was diagnosed at an average of 5.6 years after surgery compared to 12 years for silicone implants.

However, although saline Breast Implants are more likely to rupture, when they do, they are easier to diagnose. Additionally, your body can absorb the saline from the implants safely.

What happens if a breast implant ruptures?

Silicone implants are basically silicone balloons that are filled with thick silicone gel. It is the silicone shell, or balloon, that creates and maintains the shape of the implants.

A ruptured implant means that the silicone shell breaks. It can happen within months after surgery or many years later with the rate of rupture increasing over the life of the implant.

If an implant does rupture, the implant shell breaks down and the silicone gel empties from the shell but remains contained within the breast implant scar capsule – these are referred to an intracapsular ruptures – and this is what happens in the vast majority of cases.

However, in some cases the silicone gel can pass through the implant scar capsule into the breast tissues and even the lymph nodes – these are referred to as extracapsular ruptures.

How to tell if your implant has ruptured

Most breast implant rupture patients have what is referred to as “silent” ruptures – in other words, you have no symptoms or issues and don’t even know they are ruptured. These patients usually discover they have ruptured implants whilst having a breast investigation for other purposes.

If you do have a ruptured implant, then it can affect how your breast looks and feels.

With respect to the shape, the change is most evident when lying on your back. In this position, the breast with the ruptured implant often has a loss of projection and appears quite flat. When standing up it can manifest with a loss in upper pole fullness.

As far as the feel is concerned, when you examine a breast with a ruptured implant, it typically has a very soft doughy feel to it.

Not to confuse the matter, but if the implants also have a degree of capsular contracture, then these changes to the breast’s shape and feel may not be that evident.

If a ruptured implant is clinically suspected, then an ultrasound or ideally an MRI should be performed for confirmation.

Symptomatic Silicone Breast Implant rupture

Whilst most women with ruptured implants have no symptoms, a small percentage can develop symptoms. This can include pain and lumps in the breast tissue or armpits, a change in breast shape, size or firmness.

It is usually the small percentage of extracapsular ruptures which become symptomatic.

Saline Breast Implant ruptures

As mentioned, saline Breast Implants have a soft silicon shell, similar to silicon implants. However, the implant is filled with sterile salt water, not silicon gel. Due to saline being far more viscous, if there is a rupture, the water will quickly leak into the surrounding tissues and be absorbed by the body. Therefore, the breast will soon take on a ‘deflated’ appearance. If this happens, the patient must contact their plastic surgeon immediately to address the issue.

Options for a ruptured saline implant are to remove the implant without replacement or replace it with a new one. Typically, if one ruptured implant is removed, the other will also be removed. The reason why? As both implants were placed at the same time, if one has ruptured, the other may also rupture soon.

These days, when patients have their saline implants replaced, they usually choose silicone implants instead as they are very safe, unlikely to cause issues — and look and feel extremely natural.

What are the best Breast Implants for me?

Choosing the right Breast Implants for you is entirely subjective. What may be best for you may not be appropriate for someone else. This is why there’s no such thing as

During your initial consultation with Dr Dona, he will carefully listen to you, develop an understanding of your wants and needs — and then perform a thorough physical assessment. As an experienced and skilled plastic surgeon, he can then discuss the best options for you and your body.

Dr Dona does have some preferences with implants, though. He prefers to only use silicone implants for the reasons outlined earlier. He also prefers placing the implants under a portion of the muscle rather than having them sit on top the muscle wall – a custom dual plane implant pocket – as he strongly believes this technique gives a better result.

Choosing the best Breast Implants for you warrants several considerations:

Size of your frame and physical proportions
Reasons for surgery – e.g. for breast reconstruction, to even out different-sized breasts or to enlarge both breasts
Desired breast size
Profile – how far forward you would like the breast to project
Shape of implant/s – for some, a teardrop-shaped (anatomical) implant is better, while others are more suited to a round breast implant

Management of ruptured Silicone Breast Implants

As a rule, ruptured implants are not a medical problem and pose no significant health risks. So, it is not a problem that warrants “urgent” treatment.

If someone has ruptured implants, then they can be offered the choice of regular observation, or implant removal with or without replacement.

Of course, those with symptomatic ruptures would be more inclined for earlier surgical management compared to those with no symptoms.

References:

The evolution of breast implants

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6797490/