Replacing implants after 15 years
Has anyone had implants replaced? I would appreciate sharing about the experience.
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I've had some "views" but no comments so far. I'm guessing that the bc.org members who have been around as long as I have don't check the new discussion forums.
I am scheduled for an MRI on Thursday to check for ruptures in my implants. I'm hoping that I won't need to have the implants replaced. I'm even mulling over the idea of having them removed but not replaced. But even at the age of almost 81, that's a repugnant thought.
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Hi carolehalston,
Sorry you have not had responses yet. I had my pre-pectoral, over the pectoral muscle, implants replaced 5 years ago. It was along with a hysterectomy. I had absolutely no pain from the implant swap whatsoever.
I did wind up needing pocket revision and was sore to engage the pectoral muscle for a few weeks. But not narcotic pain medicine sore.
I hope all goes well for you!
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Carole - why are they wanting to replace your implants? Are you having any problems?
Simonerc - why did you have your implants replaced? How old were they?
My implants will be 16 years old this July. They are Mentor mid profile silicone smooth implants under the muscle. All sees to be good.
Thanks
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Hi Karen1956,
my first implants were pre-pectoral Mentor Smooth High Profile. I had pretty bad rippling and one of them slipped down/bottomed out. I swapped out with smaller Mentor pre-pectoral Moderate Plus. The first set was in for just one year.
Glad yours are doing great at 16 years!
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Karen, at a recent examination by ultrasound, my bc surgeon saw evidence of rupture and concluded I needed to have the implants, which are behind the pectoral muscles, replaced. Tomorrow I have an MRI for more information. In July the implants are 15 years old. Removing them will involve removing the pocket and scar tissue. At my age, 81 in March, I dread surgery. New implants would not be placed behind the pectorals. It seems that placement is no longer in favor.
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I've not had any imaging on my implants. I stopped seeing my PS in 2009 as I was still seeing my oncologist every 3 months and I was tired of seeing so many doctors. Also stopped seeing BS at this time. all the PS did was look at the implants. These are actually my third implants. I had my exchange in March 2007 and within 6 weeks, the BC side pocket fell. So in July the PS went in, took that implant out and fixed the pocket. I did not like the high profile implants and 6 months later when pocket fell again a little, I wanted it fixed again and wanted smaller implants. So in July 2008, PS fixed the pocket again (its stitched to the rib cage) and had mid profile 200cc implants. I've been happy with these. Oncologist does a breast exam at each appointment which is every 6 months. The oncology nurse said something about 15 years, but when I called the PS office, they said if I'm not having problems, no need to do anything. But from what I've read the implants can last 10-20 years. Also read that you won't know if there is a rupture/leak.
I'm torn as I really don't want surgery. It's 3 weeks since my parathyroidectomy and I'm still so tired. Recovery takes so long. Carole, I'm younger than you - turning 68, but I still debate if i had to have these taken out, if I would replace them. I have beautiful art tattoos on my foobs that I don't want ruined by surgery - I got the artwork in November/December 2022.
I see my oncologist in April - not sure if I will ask - or do I even call the PS again? I don't want to go looking for problems.
Thanks for listening me vent.
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After my bilateral mastectomy four years ago, I opted to have implants to match the size of my natural breasts. At the time, my daughters, who were 15 and 11 years old, were deeply affected by my breast cancer diagnosis. I wanted to reassure them that everything would be okay and that I would be okay. However, the surgery and recovery were incredibly painful, and even after four years, I still feel like the implants are artificial containers on my chest. If I am fortunate enough to be alive when the time comes for replacement, I have decided that I won't undergo the procedure again. The pain and discomfort are simply too much to bear once more.
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Thanks for sharing experiences with implants. The MRI of my chest is this afternoon. My surgery and reconstruction were so long ago that memory of the pain of recovery has faded. I had healing issues on the left side, the no cancer side, and the incision had to be redone. My difficult decision is whether to get new implants if the old ones are removed. I'm basically healthy at my age and I don't like the idea of going flat but it is the easiest route.
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The MRI showed no disease and a ruptured right implant. Now I have to get more information about this status. Mainly I need to know whether the ruptured implant has to be removed for health reasons. If it does, then I have to decide whether to get new implants.
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Hi carolehalston,
I had my mentor breast implants removed 6 months ago. They were under my pec. I had them for 13 years. I referred to many specialists that could not pinpoint the cause for 4-5 years ago. My symptoms escalated to where it was effecting my daily life. Finally!!!! one specialist agreed with me that it was my implants causing havoc on my immune system and said to have exploratory on my implants/removed. Breast Implant Illness was real for me. BEST decision ever! I started feeling better within a week and now all 12 symptoms are gone!!!! The explant surgery went well and my PS put my pectoral muscle back in place. I am in the process of autologous breast reconstruction. Hope that helps. I don’t come here frequently but I do check in and have questions myself for others. Grateful to be able to come here and receive and give support.
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Hi,
I am also curious about implant replacement. July 2008 I had my exchange with Mentor silicone implants. Fortunately they were mostly comfortable and for reconstructed implants esthetically well done. After 4 years I had a recurrence and required radiation. The radiated side developed capsular contracture. Now all these years later the radiated side looks pretty good but the other side not so much. My surgical oncologist and plastic surgeons who had worked together are no longer in practice. I'm 66 and in excellent health. Does anyone have any thoughts of what I should do? Have the unradiated side lifted? Replace both? Leave things alone? I don't really want to undergo unnecessary surgery but if I am going to have surgery, sooner is probably better. Thank you.
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My explant and replacement went well and I had no problems. My plastic surgeon wanted to place the new implants on top of the pecs but my skin was too fragile. So he used the same pockets under the pecs and had to go with slightly larger implants to fill the space. Now that I'm back to normal I'm glad I went with replacement. For me it's better to have a breast shape than to be flat.
Good luck with your decisions.
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