Breast implants both saline and silicone have been approved by the FDA, and are considered safe to use. Maintaining safety includes annual checkups with your surgeon, self exams, annual MRIs, as well as possible replacement years later.



After the patient decides for breast enlargement, she must be fully aware of the risks and side effects of having a foreign object in the body.

Scar tissue that hardens and distorts, called capsular contracture, can occur. If this occurs, then the patient may have to undergo more surgery. The individual may also have increased pain in their breast or decreased nipple sensation. An additional risk that occurs often is that of a leak.

Silicone Leak:

If the individual's silicone gel-filled implants rupture, silicone gel leaks outside of the silicone shell. Silicone leaks can be intracapsular or contained within the scar tissue surrounding the implant. It can also be extracapsular which means the silicone leaks outside the scar tissue.

At times, silicone ruptures are difficult to detect with a mammogram alone. It is possible that the person could have a silent rupture meaning you will not have any outward signs of the leak. While some women experience subtle changes in the size, shape or contour, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is usually necessary to identify any problems and to determine if it is intracapsular or extracapsular.

Because intracapsular can become extracapsular if not addressed in a timely manner, a cosmetic surgeon will usually recommend that ruptured implants be removed and replaced. Because silicone leaks can be difficult to detect by just a physical examination, women with enlargement are encouraged to have MRI exams every two years, starting a few years after surgery. These exams might not be covered by health insurance.

Most women with silicone gel-filled breast implants will have at least one broken within ten years of the plastic surgery procedure.

Saline Ruptures:

If a saline rupture, saline leaks out of the shell. A problem will be very obvious because your breast implant will become deflated, changing in size and shape as the saline solution leaks outside the shell and into the rest of your body. Most of the time, leaked saline solution is easily and safely absorbed by the body if detected earlier.

If an individual later chooses removal, they may experience dimpling, puckering, wrinkling or other changes of the breast. Depending on many factors including incision technique used, breast implants may affect your ability to produce milk for breast-feeding, especially if there is a rupture.

In Case of Rupture:

If your implant leaks or breaks, the plastic surgeon will need to remove it with surgery. This procedure can typically be completed through the same small incisions cut during the initial surgery. Most of the time, the individual can have a new device inserted during the same surgery.

The procedure usually is straightforward, but at times leaking silicone gel can be difficult to remove. The surgeon may require more extensive cosmetic surgery. Additionally, health insurance may not cover implant removal or replacement and therefore you may be out of pocket quite a bit of money.

It always advisable to have the surgery performed by a board certified plastic surgeon to lessen any problems through the skill of an experienced and well trained surgeon.