And, like all things in medicine, the issue just isn’t that simple. In short, plastic surgeons use a 10-year period to discuss the risk of needing to go back to surgery for some sort of implant-related issue. Because of us choosing this timeline, the common perception is that implants somehow last 10 years and then just run out of steam, but this simply isn’t true. In fact, there is a greater chance that a patient will not have to go back to surgery in 10 years than a chance that she will.
But just how long do they last then? And what are the new complication rates for the more advanced, modern implants? Well that’s a difficult question to answer until we have more data.When the US Food & Drug Administration finally lifted its 14-year ban on silicone breast implants for use in the US in November 2006 it set some restrictions and limitations.One of those was that the manufacturers of the silicone implants are obliged to collect follow-up data on 40,000 implant users for 10 years following surgery.
This was a very conservative step, especially since the FDA approval was based on safety studies carried out over the previous 10 years.The next 10 years will surely settle the question of implant lifespan.
Silicone implants have been in use worldwide without restriction for over thirty years and in the US for reconstructive surgery and approved trials throughout the years of the FDA ban.Studies show that silicone implants are as long lasting and safe as saline implants and that both, while classified as non permanent, can last a lifetime.
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