Breast implants are not considered to be “lifetime devices,” but they are designed to be long lasting and safe. Patients can expect today’s breast implants—the products of decades of research into stronger shells and more stable fillers—to last more than a decade, with the chance of rupture increasing about one percent each year. That means after a decade, there is a 95% chance that the breast implants will still be fully intact.
Women who choose breast augmentation with implants should be prepared to keep up with their regular annual checkups, as well as perform self-checks to ensure the devices are still intact.
A ruptured saline implant, for instance, should deflate relatively quickly—over several days, at most. While saline is sterile, a loss of fluid into the breast tissue is obviously not ideal. In this case, women can expect the implant—and breast—to noticeably change size and shape.
A leaking silicone gel-filled implant is more difficult to detect at home, which has led to the coining of the term “silent rupture.” While a change in breast shape or size might be evident in this situation, patients may also experience a shift in sensation in the area or notice the formation of small lumps.