The majority of breast implant ruptures cause no symptoms or health problems and can remain undetected for a long time. Nevertheless, many patients wonder how they can know if their breast implant is ruptured. And what are some of the signs of a ruptured breast implant.
A saline-filled breast implant will usually shrink and deflate when it’s ruptured. You may experience a sudden or gradual change in the size and shape of your breast, an abnormal breast shape, and pain in case your saline implant leaks.
At the same time, a ruptured silicone implant doesn’t shrink and usually doesn’t cause any symptoms. However, it can be detected with a breast MRI or ultrasound. Less commonly, when a silicone gel implant ruptures, it can cause pain, breast lumps, thickening in the breast, and changes in the breast contour.
Dr Jeremy Hunt is a specialist plastic surgeon performing breast surgery in Sydney, Australia.
A breast implant can be either silicone-filled or saline-filled. Either way, all types of implants have an outer silicone shell that rarely becomes torn or punctured causing the implant to rupture.
The following may cause a ruptured breast implant with any type of filling:
Researchers suggest that the rupture of a silicone or saline breast implant is a multifactorial process. This means that a breast implant doesn’t rupture easily – you may experience more than one of the mentioned causes combined before your implant tears or leaks.
For example, your implant could become worn out with time but still doesn’t rupture until it receives a blow from an accident or another blunt force trauma to the chest.
What happens when an implant ruptures? And how can you tell if you have a ruptured implant?
The symptoms of breast implant rupture depend on whether you have a silicone-filled breast implant or a saline-filled breast implant.
In general, you should suspect a ruptured implant if you experience one of the following symptoms:
However, the rupture of a saline implant is different from the rupture of a silicone implant.
Saline breast implants are usually inserted empty into the chest through a small incision. After they’re in place, the implant will be filled with sterile salt water (saline).
When a saline implant ruptures, the saline water inside of it will leak out causing the implant to shrink and collapse. Consequently, you might want to consider that your saline implant has ruptured in case you notice the following:
Even though a ruptured saline implant can affect the shape of your breast, it doesn’t usually cause any health concerns – the leaking saline is just sterile water that will be naturally absorbed by your body.
On the other hand, unlike a saline implant, when a silicone implant ruptures, it doesn’t collapse and usually doesn’t change the shape or size of your breast. Instead, the silicone remains stuck inside a layer that forms around the implant.
A ruptured silicone implant that doesn’t cause any problems and remains undetected for a long time is known as a “silent rupture”. You may not know you have a silent implant rupture until you get an ultrasound or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for your breasts.
You may suspect that your silicone implant has ruptured in case you experience the following symptoms:
You can make sure that your silicone gel implant is still in good condition by getting an MRI 3 years after your breast surgery and once every 2 years after that.
During your follow-up with Dr Hunt, he will give your breasts a thorough examination to make sure that all is well with your implants and that everything is in place.
Ruptured breast implants aren’t that common – implant rupture rates are very low, especially in the early years after you get your implants. As the implant ages, it becomes somehow more likely to rupture, but not by much.
Breast implants have been used for several decades. During this time, their safety and efficiency have been heavily investigated.
Over the years, implant manufacturers have made significant changes in the design of implants to make them stronger, safer, and more durable.
The third generation of implants with multilayered shells is now available and has significantly reduced the risk of rupture. Modern implants can last up to 35 years and remain intact without rupturing. Nevertheless, a revision surgery is usually needed after 10-15 years to rejuvenate the breasts and erase some of the signs of ageing – even if the implants are still intact.
The rupture rates of an implant depend on:
These are all factors that can affect how easily an implant ruptures. In general, implants are hard to rupture even as the implant ages.
Long-term data from one implant manufacturer showed that 8 years after a breast augmentation, implant ruptures occurred in less than 6.5% of the patients. Even 10 years after breast surgery, less than 10% of the patients had ruptured implants.
Moreover, 98% of patients who received more modern implants were rupture-free 5 years after receiving the breast implant. Even after 10 years, around 85% of those patients were still implant rupture-free.
Dr Jeremy Hunt uses breast implants like the Motiva breast implants or Mentor breast implants.
Although a ruptured breast implant usually doesn’t pose any health risks, you’ll probably need surgery to remove the ruptured implant.
Whether it’s saline or a silicone implant, Dr Hunt will surgically remove the damaged implant. If you’d like, he can also replace it with a new one during the same surgery.
In case you have a silicone implant that has ruptured but isn’t bothering you or causing you any trouble, you may be able to keep it in. A silent rupture will not change the shape of your breast and wouldn’t cause you any health problems.
Therefore, you can discuss with Dr Hunt whether you want to remove the ruptured silicone implant, replace it, or keep it in place.
A lot of research has been dedicated to the complications following the rupture of a breast implant.
So far, studies found no link between breast implant rupture and any health concerns. According to research so far, a ruptured breast implant:
Most implant ruptures pose no health risks and a lot of them are undetectable. One known complication of a ruptured breast implant is capsular contracture– a condition where the tissue around the implant hardens and tightens.
If you think your implant is leaking or that you may have a ruptured implant, contact your plastic surgeon immediately.
By performing a physical examination, ultrasound, or MRI, Dr Hunt will be able to determine whether your implant is damaged or intact.
Your implant can be surgically removed (explanted) and replaced with new one. In case of the silent rupture of a silicone implant, you might not need surgery at all. Dr Hunt will recommend that you keep an eye on any changes or discomfort in your breast to make sure the implant won’t cause you any trouble.
Dr Jeremy Hunt is specialist plastic surgeon performing breast, body, face and nose surgery in Australia. He is a member of FRACS & ASPS and has over 20 years of experience providing cosmetic and plastic surgery in Sydney.
Careful, considerate and honest, Dr Jeremy Hunt works with you to find a solution that is optimal for your body and your lifestyle. Every patient is unique and, through his guidance, can achieve the good results.
Dr Hunt’s personal, one-on-one service and attention to detail has given thousands of women and men from the Sydney & Wollongong NSW area and across Australia the aesthetic results they desire.
Dr Jeremy A Hunt MBBS FRACS graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine degree from Sydney University in 1990 and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and member of ASPS – the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. He completed a Fellowship at the prestigious University of Texas in the United States, where he learnt from some of the world’s very best plastic surgeons.
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