How Long Do Breast Implants Last?-
This is a very good question, and one that women should seriously consider before deciding on breast having breast augmentation surgery with breast implants. The lifetime of your breast implants determines the time between when you have your breast augmentation surgery and when you will have to have them removed. After removal, breast implants often leave your breasts deformed, stretched and hollow. To avoid this, many women choose to have their implants replaced as necessary, which postpones the day that they will have to have them removed for good, and commits them to at least one more surgery, unless they die first.
This is also a question that doesn’t seem to have an easy answer. Here are some perspectives on the subject.
Informed Consent Documents and FDA Studies
Informed consent documents are the pamphlets the FDA requires doctors to give you before you have your breast augmentation surgery. They are designed to tell you about the risks of the procedure so you can make an informed decision about whether it is right for you. The informed consent documents give data from studies that were submitted to the FDA by the manufacturers. These give the rupture rate for breast implants at 3-5% after three years, and related studies show the rupture rates as 7-10% after 10 years. However, some studies, not included in the documents, but considered by the FDA before re-approving silicone implants, and reported in a New York Times article published April 7, 2005, show that 74% of women would suffer a breast implant failure within 10 years. And 93% of silicone implants used in breast reconstruction were shown to fail in 10 years. For this reason, the FDA says, “If you do decide to get breast implants, you will likely need additional surgeries on your breasts over your lifetime due to rupture, other complications (for example, capsular contracture, breast pain), or unacceptable cosmetic outcomes (for example, asymmetry, unsatisfactory style/size, wrinkling/rippling).”
Plastic Surgeons and Breast Implant Manufacturers
Partly to comply with the FDA and partly because they believe it to be true, plastic surgeons and breast implant manufacturers also talk about the limited lifetime of breast implants. In its literature, Allergan, who manufactures Natrelle implants, says, “Breast implants are not lifetime devices, and breast implantation is not necessarily a one-time surgery. You will likely need additional surgeries on your breasts due to complications or unacceptable cosmetic results.” Mentor modifies this language, to say “Breast implants are not lifetime devices, and breast implantation is likely not a one-time surgery.” It also notes that additional surgeries mean “your risk of future complications may increases[sic]” (emphasis in original).
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), softens the language slightly, saying, “It’s important to know that your breast implants are not permanent and may require replacement during your lifetime.” The ASPS language de-emphasizes the role of complications in revision surgery.
Other Opinions
However, not all surgeons endorse the language used by the ASPS, the FDA, Mentor, and Allergan. Instead, these surgeons say that breast implants are designed to last forever, and, to be fair, it is true that breast implants are designed to last as long as possible.
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To see a plastic surgeon’s arguments from this perspective, please visit the website of The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery today.
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