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Eventually all implants may fatigue and develop a hole in the outer shell. It naturally happens over time as a result of the motion within the implant wall. As the saline or silicone filler is pressured due to your natural motion, eventually a tear may develop. While the shell of the breast implant is tough and extraordinarily durable, it is still subject to this phenomenon.
The most common implant over the past 14 years has been filled with saline. Until November of 2006 it was the only FDA approved implant, while the silicone implant was used primarily in clinical trials.
Saline implants are subject to deflation because the fluid can easily flow through a hole in the outer shell. The deflation of a saline implant can happen over a very short period of time. Women with saline implants have reported that their implants have deflated as little as within a day, while others over a few weeks.
In either case, the failure of a saline implant is quite obvious as the breast loses the volume it had when the implant was full. While this is problematic, of course, some women consider this to be an advantage since it is much more difficult to tell if a silicone implant has actually ruptured. That is, upon failure of the saline implant the woman knows rather quickly that she needs to visit her plastic surgeon.
Due to the density of silicone implants, the cohesive gel inside the implant is not subject to leaking in the same manner as saline. The cohesive silicone gel is rather thick and sticky and is bonded together. Unless the hole developing in the implant is very large, the gel is not likely to squeeze out. Even with a large hole, while the silicone may bulge out of the tear, it will eventually fall back in due to its thick, viscous consistency.
This silent rupture has its advantages and disadvantages. A woman with silicone implants may not notice the failure of the implant until her mammogram reveals it. In a mammogram, as the silicone implant is squeezed, any bulging gel will show.
These two types of implants are both subject to failure. As saline is subject to rapid deflation it is more likely a woman would need to replace this type at some point due to its rupture. In most cases, even upon failure, silicone breast implants will cause no noticeable change in appearance or feel.
If your implant fails you will need to visit again with your plastic surgeon and discuss your options. While failure of an implant is not as common as it used to be it is nevertheless one of the important factors you must consider in choosing the type of implant you want. Discuss the benefits and risks of saline and silicone breast implant failures with your plastic surgeon.
