What If My Breast Implant Fails or Ruptures?

The first thing you should do is call Dr. Haiavy at Inland Cosmetic Surgery!

It is possible that your breast implants are covered under a manufacturer’s warranty, which can often help to cover the replacement cost.  While a ruptured saline implant poses no immediate danger to the patient, it will certainly look and feel strange. Failure of a silicone breast implant on the other hand, can only be diagnosed by MRI.

Implant deflation is far from being a common occurrence but it can happen for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the problems occur because implants are filled beyond (or below) the manufacturer’s recommended fill range. Other times, texturing of a saline implant results in excessive wrinkling and premature wear, causing the implant to fail.

In the event of implant failure, safe removal and replacement can be achieved in a surgical procedure similar to the original breast augmentation. Usually the same incision is used to approach the deflated implant.

This all might sound like a major hassle, but there is good news; recovery from breast implant repair surgery is usually easier than the original surgery, since the pectoralis muscle has already been stretched.