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Will Breast Implants Rupture? How Likely? What Happens Next?

Posted on Aug 20, 2012 Breast Implants

One concern women have is that their breast implants will rupture. This is an important concern and should be considered before deciding to have breast implant surgery. Saline breast implants are generally more prone to rupture than silicone breast implants. The rupture rate for saline breast implants in the first year ranges from 1-3%. The rupture rate flattens out slightly, and at five years the rupture rate ranges from 7-10%. Silicone breast implants seem to have lower rupture rates overall, but comparisons are hard to make because the study periods from the two types of implants are different. Three year rupture rates for silicone breast implants have been reported as low as 0.5% (1 out of 200 patients) and 7-year rupture rates as high as 9%. Overall, this is still less than for saline breast implants, but this may be partly due to the different behaviors of the breast implants after rupture. If a saline breast implant ruptures, it deflates as the body naturally absorbs the sterile saline solution. Silicone breast implants do not generally deflate after rupture. In about three-quarters of silicone breast implant ruptures, the silicone material remains completely within the scar capsule that forms around the breast implant. In about a quarter of ruptures, some amount of silicone migrates through the capsule into the body. For about 14% of women with silicone that crosses the scar capsule, the amount of silicone in the body is found to increase over time, but most women have only trace amounts in their body. Whether you have silicone or saline breast implants, removal is recommended if your breast implants rupture. To learn more about breast implant rupture, please contact Dr. David A. Bottger to schedule a consultation at his office in Philadelphia.