Marian Segal is a member of FDA's public affairs staff. Most women with silicone gel-filled breast implants do not experience serious problems. If you are not having problems, there is no need to have your implants removed. But you should have regular checkups by a physician or plastic surgeon. If you have any breast discomfort, changes in size or shape of your breast, or any symptoms you think may be related to your implants, see your doctor.
Implants can last from a very short time to many years, depending on the patient and the implant.
In any case, they should not be expected to last a lifetime. A ruptured implant should be removed. The percentage of implants that rupture is not certain. An FDA advisory panel concluded that the rupture rate may be higher than previously thought. The panel also noted that rupture may go undetected in some patients.