5 Ways to Tell if Your Breast Implants Need Replacing

 

The devices used in breast implant procedures consist of sterile saline or viscous silicone gel encased in a tough silicone shell. Despite their rough superficial resemblance to a water balloon, breast implants are very resilient against deflations and ruptures. The chances of these complications are possible, but not common—especially in the decade after their insertion. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end: Breast implants aren’t intended to last a lifetime. Eventually, you might choose to have your implants changed because you no longer like their shape and size, your natural breast shape has changed due to stretched-out skin and weight fluctuations, or they have developed a leak or some other issue. The physicians at the Maxwell Aesthetics plastic surgery practice have put together a basic guide to knowing when it’s time to have your implants evaluated. If there’s an issue, you may need to have a breast revision. As the Nashville-based plastic surgeons explain, that means swapping out your implants for newer ones.

1. Breast Hardening

Sometimes your breasts may have a reaction to implants that is painful and causes the shape of the implants to change. This is called capsular contracture and is associated with unnatural hardening, tightness, and changes to the appearance of the breasts due to scar tissue forming around the implants and squeezing them.

2. Rupture

Ruptures are tears or holes in the outer shell of an implant. In the case of saline implants, the valve can also stop working properly, resulting in a leak. These ruptures can occur because of trauma or natural aging of the device. It’s easier to tell when a saline implant has a rupture because the liquid leaks out rapidly and causes a visible deflation.

Silicone gel is thicker, which means it’s more difficult to recognize a rupture because the gel leaks slowly into the surrounding tissues or remains in the capsule. If silicone implants are ruptured, you may notice changes to breast size, uneven shape, hard knots, pain, swelling, burning, or other changes in sensation.

3. Wrinkling/Rippling and Palpability

One of the most common breast implant complications is rippling. This refers to a situation when the edges of the breast implant can be seen or felt through the skin. It often happens in patients who have a thin layer of fat and natural breast tissue covering the implants, or because of how the implants are placed. It is more likely to happen with saline implants.

4. Malposition or Displacement

Gravity, aging, trauma, pregnancy, sagging skin, or technical errors during a prior surgery can cause the implants to shift out of their correct position. This complication is more common with very large implants. Sometimes, they fall too low on the chest or there is too much or too little space between them. Some people are unsatisfied with the uneven or asymmetrical appearance of their breasts, and surgical intervention is required to fix it.

5. You’re Unhappy with Your Implants for Any Reason

Sometimes patients aren’t experiencing any complications, but they simply don’t like the size, shape, or appearance of their breast implants after they’ve had breast augmentation. Their implant size might be not what they expected. If this is the case, the implants can be replaced with a different implant type, size, or shape. Implants can also be removed entirely in a process known as “explantation.”

To conclude, patients who choose to undergo breast augmentation should be aware that additional surgeries may be necessary in the future. Although you won’t automatically need to have them replaced every 10 years, and implants generally stay intact for decades, you can monitor your implants if there are concerns or changes in shape or feel by getting an MRI.

The older your implants are, the more likely they are to rupture or deflate. The FDA advises breast augmentation patients to have a breast MRI screening three years after the initial surgery and once every two years from then on. Generally, you won’t need to replace them unless you’re experiencing complications.

If you’re noticing any of these common signs and feel like a breast revision in Nashville could benefit you, it’s a good idea to have your breast implants checked. To schedule a private consultation with a plastic surgeon from Maxwell Aesthetics, call 615-932-7700 or submit your info via an online contact form.