Breast Implant Problems, Procedures:
- There can be problems with breast implants. Many of the difficulties are related to local effects of the implants – the implants may be too high, too low, or not the same on each side. In general, it is best to wait at least six to twelve months before deciding if there is an issue because often it just takes time for the implants to settle into their final position.
- While most the problems with saltwater implants are problems with positioning, silicone gel implants deserve a special warning. They are more prone to local problems, such as hardening or encapsulation, than the salt water implants. In fact, some studies state that a gel implant placed underneath the breast tissue has a 70 to 100% rate of encapsulation after ten or twenty years. This has been my clinical experience. In addition, the gel implants are more likely to break than the saline implants. Again, there is probably a 50% leakage rate at seven to fifteen years for the gel implants versus around 10% for saline implants at ten years. While the actual numbers can be debated, the trend is there: the gel implants are at least three times more likely to break, and when they do break, you may not realize it. The first sign can be a lump, or a silicone granuloma. The gel implants have recently received FDA approval for women over the age of 22. Manufacturers still recommend that they be replaced every ten years or so, or be followed by regular MRI studies every 1 to 3 years. There are web sites devoted to problems with implants – Coalition of Silicone Survivors (siliconesurvivors.net) and Toxic Discovery (toxicdiscovery.com) are two active and helpful sites.
- View our Breast Implant Problems Before and After Photos.