This is a very common question asked by women considering breast augmentation.
Many women indicate they are under the impression that implants need to be replaced every 10 years. This is not true. The myth that implants need to be replaced every 10 years probably came from the testimony provided by physicians during the approval process for silicone implants in the early ’90s.
The question asked several times to the testifying doctors was “How long will these implants last”? And the answer often was “We are not sure, but we believe they should last at least 10 years”. The number 10 was accepted by many as the life span of the implant. The accurate answer is the implants will very likely last much longer.
It is difficult to give an exact percentage, however considering there are at least 3 implant manufacturers and each implant manufacturer has a silicone line.
A saline line, textured implants, smooth implants, round implants, teardrop implants all with varying shapes. Consequently, there are thousands of different variations and each one would have a specific lifetime. The best way to think about it would be that in the first 10 years they probably won’t leak. In the second 10 years, they might leak and in the third 10 years, they probably will leak.