Breast Implant Longevity

Your augmented breasts have brought you years of elation, greater self-esteem, better fitting clothes and maybe even a spontaneous look of lust but Saline and Gel implants are considered mechanical devices by the FDA. Your beautiful and enviable breasts implants won’t last forever! Whether you had saline or gel breast implants placed for cosmetic enlargement, both are rated to last for 10-15 years. Both the salt water and silicone implants have similar silicone shells and eventually they give out. The outer shells of both the silicone or saline implants come with a warranty for 10 years. If your implants are more than 10 years old, the outer shell is now at a greater risk of rupturing which means the implants will either have a slow leak or one big rupture. It is always best to change them before they leak. Anticipating this is difficult but life changes occur and most of our patients desire other breast options with each decade. Over a 10-40 year period your body has gone through many changes such as weight gain or loss, pregnancies and just aging which cause the breasts to fall, and in some cases the implant pocket has moved. Following children, your breasts may show some wear. Pregnancy and gravity during your 30’s have elongated your breasts or caused them to sag. Prior saline implant patients generally consider a updated silicone gel implant and a breast lift. Dr. Kane offers these women the new donut breast lift that requires minimal scars on the breasts and your choice of smaller implants or no implants at all. This keeps the scar around a smaller more youthful areola while tightening the skin of the breast around the implant. During your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s,, many women entering menopause find larger, fuller and more weighty breasts to be more cumbersome!. As women get older, they desire a smaller breast size, but still want perky breasts. This is performed by removing excess breast skin and “repackaging” all the breast tissue around a smaller areola. Most women of this group choose a smaller implant and occasionally a patient desires no implant at all. Dr. Kane uses the New Silicone Gel Implants called Memory or Cohesive Gels. They have been FDA approved in 2006 because of the cohesive, gel-like substance that acts as a solid rather than a liquid creating a firmer giggle to the breast. The gel stays within their shell in the event of a rupture. Patients have been thrilled with their new gel implants. Let us evaluate your needs by setting up a visit with Dr. Dean Kane and Lauri Kane.