How Long Do Breast Implants Last?
There is no fixed answer. Many modern implants last 20 years or more without a problem, and there is no medical rule that says they must be replaced after a set time.
The old advice to change them every ten years has largely been abandoned. But implants are not lifetime devices either, the chance of rupture and other problems rises the longer they are in place. Current guidance is to monitor implants, not to replace them on a timetable.
Ms McEvoy has written separately about why breast enlargement remains popular, what problems may occur and when removal makes sense.
This is the third article in a series of four:
How Long Do Breast Implants Last?
Should I Have My Breast Implants Removed?
Where did the "replace them every ten years" advice come from?
Mostly from older generations of implants. Silicone implants from the 1970s and 1980s had thin shells and runny gel and ruptured far more often than today's devices. Early long-term studies also tended to report results at ten years, which turned a reporting milestone into a rule of thumb.
Modern implants use stronger, multi-layered shells and cohesive gel, which holds together more like a soft solid than a liquid. They are considerably more durable. Routine replacement of a healthy implant means an operation, with its own risks, for no clear benefit.
What do the long-term studies show?
The best data come from the ten-year studies that manufacturers were required to run for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in which a large group of women had regular MRI scans to detect silent rupture.
Further surgery: roughly one in five women had a further operation within eight to ten years. Common reasons were capsular contracture, rupture and a wish to change size.
Rupture: in Allergan's round silicone implants, MRI showed rupture in about 8% of implants by ten years. The company's shaped implants showed a similar rate, at about 10% of implants.
Satisfaction: remained high throughout, with most women still satisfied with their implants at ten years.
Put simply, around nine in ten modern implants are still intact at ten years, and rupture risk climbs gradually each year after that. There is less high-quality data beyond 15 years, partly because many women in those studies had changed or removed their implants by then.
What affects how long my implants last?
A mix of the implant, the surgery and your own body:
Implant generation and brand: implants placed before the early 2000s are generally less durable than modern ones. PIP implants, withdrawn in 2010, ruptured far more often.
Filling: saline implants deflate noticeably when they fail; silicone ruptures are often silent.
Shell damage: a shell nicked or stressed during surgery may fail earlier.
Capsular contracture: a tight capsule puts the implant under constant pressure and folds the shell.
Trauma: a significant blow to the chest, such as in a car accident, can rupture an implant.
Size and position: larger implants and those under more tension may be under greater mechanical stress.
It is also worth separating the life of the implant from the life of the result. Even an intact implant can look different after pregnancy, weight change or simply ageing, as the breast tissue and skin around it change. Many women who have implants changed after 15 or 20 years do so for that reason rather than because the implant has failed.
How do I know if my implants need attention?
Sometimes you will notice a change: a different shape or size, firmness, a new lump in the breast or armpit, pain, or swelling of one breast. Any of these deserves an examination.
But silicone rupture is often silent, so you cannot rely on how your breasts feel. In the USA, the FDA recommends an ultrasound or MRI scan five to six years after surgery and every two to three years after that, even if you have no symptoms. This is not routine advice in the UK, so many women with older implants have never had a scan. Ultrasound is a good first test but MRI is the most accurate.
You will also find it easier to make good decisions if you know exactly what implant you have. Your operation note or implant card should list the manufacturer, filling, surface (smooth or textured) and size. Most UK procedures since 2016 have also been recorded on the national Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry.
My implants are 20 or 30 years old. Should I be worried?
Not necessarily, but they deserve a check. Older implants are more likely to have ruptured silently, and some earlier generations are less robust. A clinical examination and a scan will tell you whether they are intact. If they are, and you are happy with them, there is no obligation to do anything further.
Do I have to replace my implants?
No. When an implant has ruptured, or is causing problems, you have three broad choices:
Keep and monitor intact, comfortable implants.
Exchange them for new implants, often a different size or type.
Remove them, with or without a breast uplift.
Which is right depends on the condition of your implants, your own breast tissue and what you want now, which may be quite different from what you wanted when they were first placed. Our companion articles, What Problems Can Occur With Breast Implants? and Should I Have My Breast Implants Removed? explore these questions in more detail.
What should I do next?
If your implants are more than five or six years old and you have never had them checked, an examination and scan might be a sensible starting point.
To arrange a consultation with Ms McEvoy please use the links below to telephone or email, or to fill out our contact form click here.
A consultation with her will give you a clear picture of the condition of your implants and a view of your options, including leaving well alone.
References
US Food and Drug Administration. Breast implants: risks and complications; and Breast Implants: Certain Labeling Recommendations to Improve Patient Communication (guidance, 2020). fda.gov
Coroneos CJ, Selber JC, Offodile AC, Butler CE, Clemens MW. US FDA breast implant postapproval studies: long-term outcomes in 99,993 patients.
Ann Surg. 2019;269(1):30-36.
Spear SL, Murphy DK; Allergan Silicone Breast Implant U.S. Core Clinical Study Group. Natrelle round silicone breast implants: Core Study results at 10 years.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014;133(6):1354-1361.
Maxwell GP, Van Natta BW, Bengtson BP, Murphy DK. Ten-year results from the Natrelle 410 anatomical form-stable silicone breast implant core study.
Aesthet Surg J. 2015;35(2):145-155.
NHS England. Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry.
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