Breast augmentation cosmetic surgery results are expected to last for a very long time, but not forever. Patients often report that their implants have lasted for 15 or 20 years or even longer, and even the implant manufacturers are willing to offer a lifetime warranty on the implants. However, you should be aware that implant failure can occur at any point of time after your breast augmentation.
Board certified female plastic surgeon Dr. Kristi Hustak provides cosmetic and reconstructive procedures for the breast, body and face to patients in Houston, Texas and surrounding locations.
How Long Will Your Breast Implants Last?
Whether you have had your breast implant surgery a month or a decade ago, if you experience any discomfort or another concern about your implants, you should visit your plastic surgeon. This goes for health related as well as cosmetic issues, no matter how small or big.
Eventually, your breast implants will probably have to be removed or replaced, even if you have had them for years or decades. After the first 10 years, the risk of implant failure could increase. It is also necessary to understand that your breast implants cannot stop the progressive effects of aging.
Your body and breasts will undergo changes with age. Weight fluctuations, pregnancy, breastfeeding, hormonal changes, gravity, and the natural aging forces will affect your breast tissue. With the passage of years, your implants may not feel or look quite the way they did at the time of primary breast augmentation plastic surgery.
Having said that, you should feel reassured that in a vast majority of cases, the breast implants will not have to be removed or replaced for at least 10 to 20 years. Quality of implants and innovations in surgical techniques over the years has increased the longevity of breast augmentation results.
When should You Get Your Implants Checked?
If you are using saline implants, you will know about an implant rupture on your own within 24 to 48 hours. The saline solution will leak out, causing the implant to deflate. It will become noticeable from outside as the shape of the breast will visibly change. Saline leakage poses no risk to your health because it is fully biocompatible. But for aesthetic reasons, you will need to have your saline implants removed or replaced.
In case of silicone implants, the FDA advises you to have them screened through an MRI three years following your breast augmentation surgery, and every two years after that. An MRI can detect whether the silicone implant has suffered a silent rupture. This is important because silicone gel is highly cohesive, and may stay intact in the implant shell. As a result, you will not notice a change in the breast shape from outside.
But silicone implant removal or replacement is vital in case of an implant rupture because silicone gel leakage could present some degree of risk to your health. Female cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kristi Hustak receives patients from Houston, Texas and nearby areas for dependable and proven surgical and non-surgical procedures.
For more information on procedures and treatments provided by board-certified female plastic surgeon Dr. Kristi Hustak please call us to schedule a consultation at 713.322.7265 or click here. Offices in Houston, Texas.
