The terms breast augmentation, breast implants, and breast lift are sometimes used interchangeably. Breast implants and breast lifts are different surgical procedures that can be described by the general term “breast augmentation.”
Breast implants are medical devices implanted under the breast tissue or chest muscle used to:
- Increase breast size (breast augmentation)
- Replace breast tissue that has been removed due to cancer or trauma or that has failed to develop properly due to a breast abnormality (breast reconstruction)
Breast augmentation is a surgical procedure used to:
- Increase breast size with the use of breast implants
- In some cases, a patient’s body fat may be used to increase volume (fat transfer breast augmentation)
- Breast augmentation cannot correct severely drooping breasts, so a breast lift may also be performed at the same time as the augmentation
Breast lift is a surgical procedure used to:
- Lift and tighten the breast using existing breast tissue
- Give breasts a firmer, more youthful appearance
- A breast lift does not add volume to the breasts
Breast implants are not used in breast lift surgery (although a breast lift may be performed at the same time as breast augmentation with implants)
What Are the Types of Breast Implants?
There are two types of breast implants used in the U.S.:
Saline-filled
- Have a silicone outer shell
- Filled with a sterile saltwater (saline) solution
- Some are pre-filled and others are filled by a doctor during surgery
- Approved for breast augmentation for women age 18 and older
- Approved for breast reconstruction for women of any age
Silicone gel-filled
- Have a silicone outer shell
- Filled with a sterile saltwater silicone gel
- Approved for breast augmentation in women age 22 or older
Approved for breast reconstruction in women of any age
How Can I Tell if Breast Implants Have Ruptured?
Breast implants are not designed to last a lifetime, but they usually last more than a decade.
The chance of rupture increases about one percent each year, so there is a 90% chance an implant will still be fully intact after 10 years.
Women who have breast implants should receive regular checkups with their doctor, and also perform self-checks to ensure implants are intact.
If a saline implant ruptures:
- It usually deflates quickly, over several days at most
- The implant and breast will noticeably change size and shape
If a silicone implant ruptures:
- More difficult to detect than a saline implant rupture (sometimes called a “silent rupture”) and no obvious changes may be evident
- The FDA recommends women who have silicone gel-filled implants get an MRI three years after surgery, and every 2 years after that to detect leaks
- May notice a change in breast shape or size
- Patients may feel a change in sensation in the area
- Small lumps may form
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