Implant 'shelf' life
My surgeon said that implants have a shelf life of about 10 years. Could be as long as 15 but they actually give you a date here when you have to have them replaced. I am actually super excited about that. It means that at age 60 (and 70!!! And maybe even 80??) I am going to have new perky breasts again!!! How great is that?
5ft0; highest weight 222; surgery weight 208; current weight 120
When I got mine they didn't have a shelf life. That info came out after I had mine removed after 13 years. I had to have them removed due to an infection which is one of the things that happens after 10 years so the surgeon said not to replace them. When I went back for a consult for my face, he asked when I was getting them replaced. I was so confused because I hadn't heard of the changes at the time.
BAND REMOVED 9-4-12-fought insurance to get sleeve and won! Sleeved 1/22/13! Five years out and trying to get that last 15 pounds back off.
Implants do not in fact have a "shelf life", and someone telling you that is not giving you the right context. They can stay implanted indefinitely in the absence of complications. At 10 years the rupture rate of traditional round implants ("4th generation") is somewhere between 6-8% and increases slowly. The large majority of patients with an implant manufactured in the last 25 years can expect the device to last for over 2 decades. In the absence of problems, there is no reason to really arbitraily say "every 10 years" to get your implants changed.
The most recent devices ("5th generation" or gummy bear implants) which are made from a more stiff silicone gel appear to have a true indefinite life span and no risk of silicone gel migration, and don't need to be replaced based on their age. These would be the Allergan 410, Mentor CPG, or Sientra anatomic implants.
blogging on all things plastic surgery at Plastic Surgery 101
Interesting and good news I guess. I will have a look at which implants I have. Ok, on the little card it says INSPIRA SSM ALLERGAN 170 g.
I am also pretty sure that a leading plastic surgeon in Switzerland who is the president of the national plastic surgeon's association and is known for being one of if not the best for breast surgery in the country is telling me what the national protocol for implants is here. It may be different to the USA.
Either way, if I must have them replaced in 10 or 15 or 20 years, I really don't mind. There are worst things that could happen than having breast renewal every now and then!
5ft0; highest weight 222; surgery weight 208; current weight 120
I think the "Inspira" is the same Allergan implant marketed as the "Natrelle" in North america. These would be 4th generation devices which have been around for about 20 years in current designs and are what most people continue to have implanted. They are round device with better shells then preceding generations that are significantly more durable.
There is no "national protocol" per se on this. The USFDA (*****gulates medical devices in the United States) in their panels *****view this device since re-approval in 2006 have suggested that a 15-20 year window might be a window where elective exchange be considered for patients as the rupture rate is somewhere in the high teens after 2 decades they think. OTOH, almost 4 out of 5 implants would not be having problems. As the health effects of a rupture appear to consist mostly of hardening without any systemic diseases identified, advising patients who are asymptomatic to undergo surgery strikes a lot of surgeons as an overaggressive posture to assume. For the newer "form stable" devices like the Allergan 410 implant among others, they don't rupture in the traditional sense and there is no risk of gel migration leading most of us to advise patients there is no need to change them strictly based on age.
blogging on all things plastic surgery at Plastic Surgery 101
