How Long Do Breast Implants Last?
Breast implants are an option when seeking breast augmentation to increase your chest’s size, perkiness, and contour. Implants are usually made of either silicone or saline and can improve overall breast symmetry.
Since breast augmentation is a surgical procedure, you will be placed under anesthesia before the implants are placed in the treatment area. Dr. Egozi and his talented team will meet with you beforehand for a consultation to discuss your goals, medical history, and implant options to ensure you are happy with the outcome.
During the procedure, Dr. Egozi will make an incision to insert and position the implants, either into the pockets of the pectoral muscles or directly behind your breast tissue. He will then position the implants into place to align with your goals and reference pictures. Dr. Egozi will use layered sutures, skin adhesive, and/or surgical tape to close all incisions, which will be relatively small and result in minimal scarring.
Factors That Impact The Lifespan of Your Breast Implants
Proper care and following Dr. Egozi’s aftercare instructions can improve the longevity of your breast implants. Some factors can affect the lifespan of your implants, which are listed below.
Follow Dr. Egozi’s Guidelines
By listening to Dr. Egozi’s detailed aftercare instructions and following them closely, you can optimize the lifespan of your breast implants. Return to the Egozi clinic for annual maintenance appointments, as well, to make sure nothing is wrong and that you are still happy with your results.
Check Yourself
Daily self-examination is great to make sure you have no health or aesthetic concerns that should be addressed. By examining your breasts and checking for implant shifting, hardness, lumps, or sagging, you can bring any concerns to your surgeon so they can be corrected as soon as possible.
Get An MRI
An MRI is suggested by the FDA to be performed on people with breast implants 5-6 years after the procedure. After that, you should continue to get an MRI every 2-3 years. This can show you any abnormalities that exist within the breast and the implant so you can take care of concerns quickly and get a second doctor’s opinion!
How To Know When Breast Implants Need Replacing
There are various signs you can look for to know if your breast implants need to be replaced, including:
- Pain in the treatment area. You may need breast implant revision if you experience discomfort where your implants are placed. Pain can result from damaged lymph nodes, pinched nerves, capsular contracture, seroma, leaking, or shifting.
- A rupture occurs. Breast implant rupture can be caused by physical pressure, such as a fall, car accident, or aging, which weakens the implant shell. If you have saline implants, your breasts will deflate. If you have silicone implants, a rupture can be diagnosed through an ultrasound or MRI as the gel inside the implant leaks slowly.
- You see severe sagging. If your skin and breast tissue cannot properly support your breast implants, the implant can gradually fall below the breast crease. This typically happens with larger implants or skin laxity issues due to age or pregnancy.
- You see movement in the implant area. It’s normal for breast implants to settle into position over time, but they should not be moving drastically in different locations on your chest. Implant displacement can cause the implants to move toward the middle of the chest, especially if the implant pocket is too large.
- Your implant shape has changed. This can indicate shifting, rotation, ruptures, or sagging, causing asymmetry and making it difficult to find bras that fit well.
- Capsular contracture occurs. Capsular contracture occurs when the body mistakes the implant for a foreign object and creates large amounts of scar tissue to isolate it. You can catch capsular contracture if you notice breast firmness, misshapen breasts, or breast pain.
What Happens If Breast Implants Are Not Replaced?
If you go too long without replacing your breast implants or addressing signs that they need to be replaced, you won’t notice any pain or physical danger immediately. Modern implants are long-lasting and quite safe, but if you notice them becoming less sturdy, more painful, or misplaced, you will need an implant replacement.
Consult Dr. Egozi for your Breast Implant Surgery
Dr. Egozi is qualified and experienced in both breast augmentation and breast implant treatments. Patients can expect a doctor who takes great pride in delivering excellent results that last long-term, boost your confidence, and give you a beautiful figure.
The expert results are achieved by taking extra care to ensure that you follow all aftercare instructions and have your procedure performed by an expert surgeon like Dr. Egozi.
Call us today at +1-727-461-5872 to book your free consultation, and check out our page dedicated to breast augmentation treatments to learn more!