It is fairly common especially in Southern California to meet women who have had their breast implants for admittedly over 20 years. Many will tell you that they know they do not look as good as they did when they first got them done but that it’s “good enough”. The idea of exchanging breast implants for most women seems like a luxury and many women put it off without ever investigating just how easy it is to exchange their breast implants. Dr. Kim explains to patients in their initial consultation that exchanging breast implants is a much better tolerated procedure than they had performed on the initial breast augmentation. Dr. Kim carefully examines the patient to determine if the existing breast implant has been compromised by either a rupture or leak. If they are saline implants the leak in most cases is fairly obvious. If they are silicone implants it may be a little more difficult to detect. Dr. Kim will examine the patient to determine if there is excessive breast tissue surrounding the implant which could cause the breast to feel firm and in some cases unnatural and uncomfortable. If the excessive breast tissue or capsular contracture is present it will be necessary to remove the excess scar tissue with a capsulectomy before inserting the new implants. Most of the older implants are saline implants and patients are usually given the option to upgrade to silicone implants. The breast implant manufacturers offer incentives that can range from promotional pricing to actual gift cards for patients who exchange their saline implants to silicone implants. The bottom line is: breast implants were never intended to last a lifetime. Patients who have had their breast implants more than five years and have never had them checked should seriously consider a consultation with Dr. Kim to have the implants checked.
