What causes a breast implant to deflate or rupture?
All implants carry a risk of rupture. The implants we use have a very low rate of deflation. Saline deflations are less than 3.7% at 7 years and Mentor MemoryGelTM silicone deflations are less than 0.3% at 3 years. Breast implants deflate or rupture when the integrity of implant shell is violated. If a saline implant leaks or breaks inside a woman’s body, the salt water is simply absorbed into her tissue. Deflation can occur immediately or progressively over a period of days and is noticed by loss of size or shape of the implant. If the implant is a cohesive silicone gel implant, the rupture may be silent and not recognized. MemoryGel™ implants feature a cohesive, gelatin-like substance that acts as a solid rather than a liquid. The cohesive silicone gel will maintain its shape if pulled or stretched. If there is a leak or rupture of the implant, the MemoryGel™ binds to itself reducing the chance that the silicone may spread beyond the implant. This is why the FDA recommends that a MRI
