How long do implants last?
The data on implant longevity is variable. Implant leakage is usually caused by a leak in the valve area. Other causes of implant failure include a tear, hole or rip in the implant, this can occur over time. If a saline implant leaks, the salt water gets absorbed by the body with no adverse effects. Many women can get a lifetime out of their implants with no exchange needed, but it is best to think that you may need an implant exchange at sometime in your life. Implant leakage reports between 1to 5% per year.
Not forever! No medical device can be considered to last forever, just as no natural body part necessarily lasts a lifetime. It is possible for any implant to leak, and that is true of both the silicone gel and the salt-water type as well. It must be assumed that all implants will eventually wear out, because of the constant repetitive movements of the chest caused by breathing some 15,000 times a day. If every person with a pacemaker, breast implant, heart valve, penile implant, knee joint etc lived to be 100, it is likely that all of these devices would have failed by then. Implants do not have an “expiration date” when they have to be routinely replaced. But little by little they do wear out, and every year they get weaker. The national average figures just released in June 2000 are as follows: For round smooth implants the three-year figure is about 0.3% having failed, for textured implants about 2.5% having failed. Here is more information: Mentor: (both smooth and textured mixed
