Do you have silicone gel implants? Are they more than 5 years old? Have you had an ultrasound or MRI to see if you have a silent leakage?
Silicone implants are great, but they are not lifetime devices. It is recommended that you scan for silent ruptures every 3-5 years. (NOTE: This is not applicable to saline implants, as when saline implants leak the implant goes flat as your body absorbs the saline, so the leak is visible.) The silicone gel breast implant warranty lasts for 10 years, and like all warranties, things tend to be okay before then. But since I have been in practice for over 25 years, I am starting to see a trickle of silicone breast augmentation patients who I did implants in 15, 17, 19 years ago come in with leaking silicone gel implants. They had no symptoms. The gel was contained within their capsule. It was found when they went in for their yearly mammogram. A few things before you freak out:
- Your body forms a balloon of scar tissue around your implant when it is placed, so even if your implant has leaked, the silicone is usually caught by the capsule. (This is “intracapsular”)
- Silicone implants are cohesive gel, so they aren’t as liquid as they were in the past.
- This is treatable. But you will need a surgery.
So how do you know if you are leaking?
At the last Aesthetic Meeting in 2025 in Austin, I went to a course about ultrasounds. Technology has advanced so much, and now there are handheld ultrasound machines we can use in our little ol’ plastic surgery offices, hook it up to an iPad, and see what is going on. Turns out it is a great device to see if your implant has ruptured.
Benefits of in office ultrasound at Lauren Greenberg MD?
- Painless. We just put a little gel on your skin and scan.
- No radiation. It is an ultrasound.
- Low cost. $100-200. If you have a rupture and need surgery, we apply it to your surgical cost. MRIs and ultrasounds done in the hospital are $$.
- Peace of Mind.
- Health. You should know how your implant is doing.
It gives me great joy to be able to offer this to my patients. Both I, and Meghan Douglass my nurse, are trained in this new ultrasound. It is about a half hour visit to the office.
I think implants are safe, and well researched and understood. But they are not lifetime devices and need to be replaced. It is easier to replace an old implant before it ruptures. If ruptured, the surgery to replace or remove is also straightforward, but it takes a little more time to do the capsulectomy. It is good to know what you are going to find before you get in there. You can decide to revise during breast revision or remove with breast implant removal.
Who should do it and when should you do it?
- If you have silicone gel implants that are more than 5 years old
- If your implants are over 10 years old, I recommend scanning every 2-3 years
- If you have a change in your implant- new wrinkle, hardness, shape change
- If you are worried and just want to see it. (The ultrasounds are cool, and peace of mind is priceless).
This is a tool. It is not a guarantee of an intact implant or a ruptured implant. We have the T mode on the ultrasound which helps us see the area better (Go AI technology!), but we are not official radiologists.
The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider for any questions regarding your health or medical condition.
