Dr. Mark G. Albert, M.D. is a solo practice Aesthetic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Director of the renowned Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Fellowship. He is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania and Michigan State University College of Medicine. He completed his residency training at the University of Massachusetts and then complemented an aesthetic plastic surgery fellowship at The Manhattan Ear, Eye, and Throat Hospital. 

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Breast augmentation procedures are extremely common and allow women to achieve their aesthetic vision by increasing the size and fullness of their breasts through silicone or saline implants. For all who have breast implants, it is important to note if there is anything to look out for post-op and on. Here Haute Beauty sat down with Haute Beauty Expert Dr. Mark Albert to discuss the longevity of breast implants.

Haute Beauty: How long do breast implants last?

Dr. Mark Albert: Generally, the manufacturers recommend that breast implants be replaced every ten years. With that said, I don’t require people to have them removed after ten years, it’s more if there’s an issue with the implant then that’s when you have them removed. There are plenty of people walking around with twenty-year-old implants symptom-free with no issues.

HB: What would a symptom look like?

MA: We always worry about rupture and there are also symptoms like capsular contracture where scar tissue forms around the breast implant. This can cause the breast to harden and thus it can become painful and also disfiguring to the breast. You can also develop implant malposition over time due to gravity and other forces resulting in a suboptimal cosmetic appearance.

HB: In the case of a rupture, are there noticeable symptoms?

MA: If you have a silicone implant that ruptures, most of the time people don’t even realize it. You can develop capsular contracture after it ruptures and that’s a lot of times how people realize they have a rupture. If you have saline implants and they rupture, you will know because your breast deflates and your body absorbs the saline.

HB: If your implant ruptures, what’s the next step? Is it just removing it or is there more to it?

MA:  If it does rupture, it is advisable to get it removed as soon as possible. Then you can decide to leave it as is, put a new implant in or even have fat grafting for volume enhancement.

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HB: Explain capsular contracture?

MA: It’s your body’s enhanced response to having an implant in. When your body has an implant in it, it forms a capsule of scar tissue around it. Capsular contracture is when a lot of scar tissue forms and the breast can get extremely hard, causing pain.

HB: Are there any health risks to an implant rupturing?

MA: There are no known health risks. A very hot topic right now is Breast Implant Illness (BII). Currently, based on scientific evidence, it is not entirely clear whether there is a direct relationship between having silicone implants and some patients’ constellation of symptoms (fatigue, brain fog, rashes, dizziness, etc) that some attribute to the implants. There are some people who have these symptoms that believe getting their breast implants removed improved their symptoms.

HB: What causes a rupture?

MA: Oftentimes there are fold flaws where the implant can actually fold on itself and then cause weakness in the shell because of that chronic infoldings. It doesn’t happen with every implant; it only happens in some cases.

HB: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

MA: One thing worth mentioning is there is pretty great software these days called Vectra 3D Imaging where patients can come in and I take 3D photos of their breasts. Then we use the Vectra software to actually look at what different sizes, shapes or combinations of implants would like best on their body. This is a component of the standard consultation process and can even be done virtually.