Is 10 the Magic Number?

Why is 10 years the magic number we keep hearing when talking about breast implants? Conventional wisdom in plastic surgery is that breast implants typically last about 10 years. Does that mean every woman’s implants suddenly rupture or deflate on their 10 year anniversary? Of course not! Breast implants are like any other medical devices; they’re man-made and will eventually “wear out”. Some women will keep their implants in for much longer without any problems.

However, conventional wisdom also warns that if something’s not broke, don’t fix it. If your implants feel great and look great, wonderful! You can leave them alone and not worry about them. But, if over time, you’ve developed some firmness or hardness or the shape has changed, then something very well could be happening to, or around, your implant that deserves a discussion with a plastic surgeon.

Of course, the most common reason women have breast implants exchanged is for purely cosmetic reasons; to change the size, to fill up extra skin after weight changes and/or pregnancy or to change from saline to the newer cohesive gel silicone implants.

Dr. Alexander’s approach to discussing Breast Implant Exchange surgery is to listen to what you would like to achieve with another surgery, what you like or want to change about your current implants and then make recommendations that are unique for you. If your implants are 10 years old, then it is worth noting that there are more options available today than were available 10 years ago. Now we have numerous shapes and styles of implants to choose from and in addition the new soft-solid cohesive gel implants which patients tell us feel more natural.

Whether or not you fall into any of the above scenarios, we welcome you to contact our office and ask questions or schedule an appointment to meet personally with Dr. Alexander to discuss your unique circumstances. Let’s find out if 10 is your magic number.