What are the long term risk of getting breast implants?

Follow up is key: The long term risks of breast implants are the need for follow up. The primary danger is neglecting them. Implants are very simple machines, essentially inflatable bladders which can fail. As a foreign body, they present the same risks as many other implants with scarring or infection. When any of these situations occur, treatment should promptly follow with relatively few long term consequence.

Several: The most common risks of having breast implants are breakage and hardening. Implants aren't permanent devices. Breakage rates are about 10% @ 10 yrs for saline implants and 4% @ 10 yrs for silicone implants. Hardening or capsular contracture will eventually happen in most women who's implants don't break first. Mild cases may not need treatment. They may interfere with mammogram interpretation.

Risk for implants: Patients who receive breast implants have a 1 in 5 chance of additional breast surgery. Repeat surgery most often includes, implant exchange, implant removal, pocket revision, breast lift, capsular contraction and removal of leaking saline implants. New data shows a slight risk for malignancy of the implant pocket associated with breast implants.

Maintenance: Breast implants need to be replaced if they leak or dislocate from their original positions. Additionally breast implants may elicit accumulation of scar, which may need to be surgically removed. As a woman ages, her breasts will change, with or without implants and her aesthetic sense will too. The fall back position is always to remove them.

Hardening & Rupture: The main two risks are hardening (contracture) and rupture, and you to need to be seen by your doctor over time to keep an eye on things.