When I see a patient for breast augmentation Perth or reconstruction, one of the first things we talk about is the life of breast implants.
Breast augmentation and the inserted implants are not lifetime devices. You will need to have your breast implants removed or replaced at some point during your lifetime.
10 years is the magic number that often gets thrown around as the age of breast implants. But there is nothing magical about the 10-year mark. Breast implants are not like oil filters that need to be replaced every 15,000 kilometers. Unless you are having problems with your breast implants, there is no reason to change them out! I tell the patients that implants will last, on average, 10-15 years.
What happens if you do not replace breast implants?
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The lifespan of a breast implant is a subject that should be on your mind if you are considering breast augmentation or breast reconstruction. You may be wondering: how long do breast implants last? How often should they be replaced? What happens to breast implants over time: do they sag or ripple?
Many women mistakenly believe that breast implants have to be replaced every 10 years. Although the average lifetime of a breast implant is 10-15 years, breast implants actually only need to be replaced if you have a problem such as rupture of the implant or capsular contracture. In the next blog, I will explain to you how to recognize a rupture of the implant or capsular contracture, and how often they occur. I’ll tell you about treatment options and how your breast implants can change over time.
Breast implants should not be replaced unless they break or develop capsular contracture. If they are not broken and soft to the touch, you need not replace them.
But what happens if they break and you do not replace them? Let me start this conversation by saying that this is not something studied well. There are not enough studies on this subject yet to arrive at a conclusive answer. So the information CosMedicWest gives you is a combination of anecdotal information combined with common sense.
Article References:
Hall-Findlay, Elizabeth J. M.D. Breast Implant Complication Review: Double Capsules and Late Seromas, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: January 2011 – Volume 127 – Issue 1 – p 56-66 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181fad34d
Graf, R.M., Closs Ono, M.C., Pace, D. et al. Breast Auto-augmentation (Mastopexy and Lipofilling): An Option for Quitting Breast Implants. Aesth Plast Surg 43, 1133–1141 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-019-01387-5
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