Our national society just sent out a paper looking at the increase in breast implant removal surgery and gave us information on what the science is telling us. For our patients, they summed up 5 points for you to know, so I thought I would share them with you directly:
1. Breast implants are not lifetime devices and require regular follow-ups with your plastic surgeon.
2. Implant integrity should be evaluated with high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) or MRI five years after implant placement and every 2–3 years after.
3. Any persistent symptoms that occur in patients with breast implants should be evaluated for other medical diseases prior to consideration of undergoing implant removal surgery.
4. For patients who develop symptoms that they attribute to their breast implants, if no other cause is found, it is likely that they will see at least partial symptom improvement after implant removal. The symptom improvement may occur with no or partial capsulectomy which is a procedure that is less invasive, less expensive and may carry lower risk.
5. Patients should seek out board-certified plastic surgeons for any concerns with their breast implants.