Do Breast Implants Last Only 10 Years?

Nope, fake news.

It is a total myth that you must replace your implants every decade. Your implants do not expire after 10 years and no, they won’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight on their 10th birthday.

But, if you need a little more reassurance, join the Bustmob Community. A private, supportive group for women who have had or plan to have plastic surgery. 

With 50,000 members and counting, there is no shortage of personal experience, expert advice from the plastic surgeons of Amelia Aesthetics, and support for all the other little things that might be bobbing around in your head like, “How do I tell my kids about my implants?” 

Where did that number come from?

The “10-year” figure is floating around out there because the Food and Drug Administration only conducted clinical trials for 10 years, so the data ends there. 

It isn’t the case that implants were studied by the FDA for say, 20 years and the implants expired at 10. Rather, the study expired at 10 years, not the implants. 

But that doesn’t mean you have to change out your implants unless, of course, you want to. If are still loving your implants at 10 years, keep them. 

In most cases, the cost, recovery, and general risks of surgery aren’t worth taking on if you’re already happy with your implants. 

Now that you mention it, what are the risks & recovery like?

Breast implants and breast augmentation are overall safe with millions of women getting implants in the United States each year. You can get into the details of the recovery and risks in the Bustmob Academy app, but here’s an overview.

Did you know breast implants undergo the most clinical research of any medical device? And all of that research continues to show very low medically harmful risks for women in overall good health. Always nice to have a little basic science to make you feel secure.

However, like all great things, there are some risks (even if those risks are low). General risks of implants include capsular contracture, rippling, and implant rupture. Keep in mind, these complications are not medical emergencies and are highly treatable in most cases. 

The true downtime for breast augmentation is 5-7 days for most women and typically 6 weeks of limited exercise and activities such as submerging in water. It’s important to keep in mind that your final results and scar healing take up to 12 months. 

You’ll continue to see improvements each week, but don’t get discouraged if you wake up with “frankenboob” after your surgery. 

“Drop and fluff” is a totally normal process– your breasts will heal, swelling will go down, and you’ll have your dream boobs in no time. Be patient with yourself and your body, take progress photos, and connect with the Bustmob Community for a little extra support. 

Why would I want to exchange my implants?

Women decide to swap out their implants for a number of reasons.

Not because there is anything “wrong” with the implant, instead they are swapping out for things like:

• A newer generation of implant (for example, fifth-generation gummy bear breast implants)
• Different implant profile
• A bigger or smaller size
• Implant type (saline implant or silicone implant)

You can learn more about choosing size, profile, and implant types in the free Bustmob Academy app. 

Fortunately, breast implant exchanges are a fairly straightforward procedure. They tend to be quick operations with less recovery time. In some cases, you may not even need to go under full anesthesia, saving even more recovery time and costs. 

An extra perk is that you’ll typically see your final results for breast implant exchange surgery around the 6-9 month mark as opposed to 9-12 months like the original breast augmentation. 

All great things do eventually come to an end.

Keep in mind, a breast implant is a medical device and isn’t designed to last a lifetime. Think about it. Do any medical devices really last a lifetime?

That being said, years down the road you may find yourself getting an implant exchange because your implant ruptured. An implant rupture typically happens because the smooth implant is designed to rotate within the scar tissue pocket. Over time, this movement can cause the implant to form a small tear.

Before you panic, there is no known harm from an implant rupture, it is not a medical emergency, and if you have gummy bear implants, you won’t even notice any aesthetic changes. 

You can learn more about implant ruptures in the free Bustmob Academy app. 

In the event that your implant ruptures, have some peace of mind that to date, all US breast implant manufacturers have a lifetime warranty for ruptures on their implants. Meaning, the manufacturer will cover the cost of your implant in the event of a rupture. 

Found this helpful, but want more? 

Good news! This is just one of hundreds of fun, factual videos on the Bustmob Academy app to make your plastic surgery research easy.

From commonly told myths and FAQs, to recovery time and costs, Jenny Eden, founder of Bustmob, and Gretta Nance, lead educator at Amelia Aesthetics, break down your plastic surgery research into bite-size, binge-able pieces. 

Pair the Bustmob Academy app with Jenny’s 15-Day Texting Series and you are well on your way to being empowered and educated before you even set foot in your consultation.