It may surprise you to learn that breast implants aren’t guaranteed to last a lifetime. The reasons for a revision procedure are varied and personal, but future procedures will become necessary to ensure your implants’ integrity. Dr. David Mashhadian is Beverly Hills’ breast implant expert, and he can help you understand everything you need to know about successful breast augmentation, including revisions.
How Do Breast Implants Work?
Breast implants enhance the size, shape, position, and symmetry of women’s breasts to improve self-confidence and quality of life. The breasts are a big part of femininity, and if a patients’ breasts lack a pleasing appearance, they can erode a fundamental part of one’s self-image. Dr. Mashhadian has spent years perfecting techniques and researching implant science to give women more control over the appearance of their breasts.
Each patient’s augmentation will vary in type and style of implant, method of insertion, and placement, which gives Dr. Mashhadian a variety of advanced techniques to improve your overall breast appearance with natural, enhanced results.
Am I a Good Candidate?
Women who dislike the size, shape, or appearance of their breasts may find a breast augmentation can greatly enhance their comfort with their chest profile. Saline implants have been FDA-approved for women 18 or older, and silicone implants are a viable choice for women 22 or older. During your consultation, Dr. Mashhadian will explore your choices for breast augmentation and how they affect the overall results so you can determine what’s best for you.
How Long Do Breast Implants Last?
While breast implants don’t have an expiration date, they typically last between 10-20 years. There are many reasons women undergo breast implant revision. For some, it’s a matter of aesthetics changing as they get older. Perhaps the size or shape chosen in their 20s doesn’t appeal in their 30s or 40s and no longer gives them the results they love.
Another reason is the implants have ruptured. With saline implants, this becomes obvious quickly, as the breast changes shape with the rapid loss of implant volume. It’s less obvious in silicone implants, which lose volume more slowly. The development of hardened scar tissue around one or both implants, called capsular contraction, is another reason women have their implants revised or removed.
This can be a painful situation that causes the breast’s outward appearance to change or leaves the patients feeling tenderness or skin tightness that must be addressed as soon as possible.
The implant shell may also fold or ripple with movement, causing a change to the outward shape of the breast or the ability to feel these ripples when breasts are touched. Implant shifting may also be a good reason to consider a revision to your breast augmentation.
What Can I Do to Prolong My Breast Implants?
One of the best ways to prolong the longevity of your implants is to choose your surgeon wisely. Dr. Mashhadian is one of Beverly Hills’ best, with years of experience across thousands of patients who’ve been thrilled with their augmentation results. He’ll monitor the condition of your implants for as long as you have them, so detection of a rupture, rippling, or capsular contraction can be made sooner than later.
Regularly scheduled checkups can go a long way toward keeping your implants healthy for longer.
Another option to improve the longevity of your implant results is choosing gummy bear implants. These are made of advanced silicone gel with 3% more cross-linking to give it more stability in its shape in all positions. This reduces the occurrence of folding and rippling, minimizing the chance of rupture. It also limits the incidence of capsular contracture by 69%. The textured shell, along with several unique size and shape options, gives gummy bear implants a more natural look and feel to find your perfect fit. Their low chance of rippling or rupture reduces stress on the implants, which leads to a far less likelihood for sooner revision.
While no implant is entirely guaranteed against shifting, leakage, or rippling, the cohesive gel structure of gummy bear implants limits the silicone traveling within the body after a rupture and becoming a danger to the patient.
Breast implants are a safe and long-lasting medical device, but they will eventually require a revision to replace them for your safety and continued improved quality of life. With the right physician and implant choice, you can prolong their longevity and enjoy the natural feel and appearance of your enhanced breasts for years.
