Regardless of the type of size of breast implant you select, one of the risks you should be aware of is the potential for a ruptured implant. Studies have shown that about ten percent of breast augmentation patients will have a ruptured implant within the first seven years of surgery. Ruptured breast implants can result from a blow to the chest or other trauma. They can also happen with no apparent exterior cause at all.
Both types can rupture
While both silicone and saline implants can rupture, the effects are very different depending on the type of implant. Saline-filled breast implants will visibly 'deflate,' causing one breast to become smaller in size. This asymmetry is usually noticeable to the woman. The saline solution filling the implant can be safely absorbed by the body, and an implant rupture does not pose a health risk. However, revision surgery is recommended in order to make the breasts symmetrical again.
On the other hand, silicone implants can rupture 'silently,' without causing an immediately apparent difference in the shape or size of the breast. Because of the composition of the silicone gel, it leaks slowly from the implant shell, rather than leaving the implant quickly. The silicone leaking into the body may pose a health risk, leading most surgeons to recommend their patients receive MRI scans every two years to check for a rupture. It is important to catch a leaking silicone implant early in order to replace the implant.
After a breast implant has ruptured, most women report feeling no symptoms, other than the possibility of asymmetrical breasts. Others report a tingling or burning sensation or feeling hard lumps or softening in the breast.
Revision Surgery
If either a saline or silicone breast implant has ruptured, revision surgery is performed. During this surgery, the ruptured implant is replaced or, if the patient no longer wishes to have larger breasts, both implants are removed from the body.
x-ray image by James Heilman, MD
