A ruptured breast implant will require a second surgery; this procedure is called breast revision surgery where the initial surgery was called breast augmentation. A breast implant is a tough silicon outer shell which is filled with a saline solution, the implant can fail for a number of different reasons but in many cases it is simply a matter of the age of the implant. High profile breast implants are normally warranted for 10 years so it is fair to say that they are intended to last a lifetime, the shell often simply weakens as it ages. The normal life expectancy of the original implant varies from 10 to 20 years, there are rare instances of the implant lasting a lifetime but this is unlikely.

A breast implant can fair for any number of reasons, the implant can be nicked while surgery is being performed, it can be overfilled with saline, physical trauma and even an over-eager mammogram can be the cause. As saline implants are inserted empty and then filled with solution after implantation, it is very easy for the fill valve to fail. Gel implants do not have a fill valve, they are inserted pre-filled.

When there is a loss of volume in the implant, this is called “deflation.” Saline implants can deflate suddenly or slowly deflate over a few days or a week. When this happens to high profile breast implants the effect is quite noticeable as the breast changes shape and gets smaller.

A rupture in a saline implant is very noticeable; this is not the case when a gel filled implant fails. In most cases, the gel remains within the scar tissue capsule that has formed around the implant; the only way to detect it is with an MRI. As it can be difficult to detect a rupture in a gel implant, most doctors suggest that their patients have MRIs every two or three years.

Gummy Bear high profile breast implants were approved for consumer use in early 2012. These implants may be the answer to the issues associated with rupture of early gel implants as they are made from a cohesive gel which is very thick and stays put even if it is cut or otherwise ruptured.

It is no longer necessary to tolerate the “one size fits all” concept of breast implants. Natural looking, high profile breast implants offer the look and feel women have been looking for. Contact Michael A. Fiorillo MD for a consultation.