Monitoring the Condition of Your Breast Implants

March 29, 2006
Of the three million women in the United States who have breast implants, inevitably all will require replacement or removal with time. Breast implants are not conditioned to last forever and you may begin to experience signs of rupture, hardening, and other undesirable problems as they age. The important thing to know is how to detect these problematic symptoms that may indicate the need for medical evaluation.

Dr. Scott Spear, a Georgetown University Hospital plastic surgery warns that, “The quality of advice people get is very spotty.” Some surgeons may recommend mammograms, MRIs or an ultrasound, and others may suggest that your fears are unwarranted. Regardless of the initial advice you receive, Spear recommends that concerned women should, “start off by seeing a doctor, a plastic surgeon.”

If you feel uncomfortable with the advice given by the surgeon who initially performed your procedure, seek a second opinion from another trusted healthcare board certified physician.

Sonia Fuentes, a 77-year-old Maryland resident began to experience problems with her fifteen-year-old breast implants, which she believed to be an indication of a leak. When she confronted the doctors who originally performed her breast implant procedure, they told her that her worries were unnecessary and her breasts seemed normal.

“All of these doctors are top guys,” Fuentes said. “I had a lot of respect for them,” she commented on the doctors, prior to their indifference regarding her concerns.

Despite Fuentes' doctor's reluctance, she insisted that a MRI exam be completed to rule out the possibility of problems. Sure enough, the MRI revealed a ruptured implant, which would later have to be removed by a new Cleveland plastic surgeon.

“You've got to learn to go with your gut. So many women, if a doctor tells them something—that's it,” Fuentes advises.

The new doctor that Fuentes entrusted her problem with insisted on also conducting an ultrasound to confirm the results of the MRI, before replacing her implant with a new saline version. The result to the ultrasound confirmed her suspicions that one of the implants had ruptured and Fuentes underwent surgery to replace the damaged side.

Dr. Michele Shermak, the chief of plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore comments, “ Ultrasound is usually the first test that I'll do.” The ultrasound is a safe and effective way to evaluate implants and is “easy technology”, according to Dr. Shermak.

“ MRI would be the next step. The MRI is very good, very specific, very sensitive,” the doctor continues. However, she adds that it is, “almost too precise in some cases,” detecting “any little thing that looks a little bit abnormal.”

Shermak also explains that while a mammogram is not necessarily an effective method for examining possible problems with breast implants, ALL women should have regular mammograms to eliminate the possibility of breast cancer . “Compression should not be a problem” for those women with implants, she adds.

Shermak emphasizes that usually a saline leak from a ruptured implant will not pose any serious threat to the patient. “The body normally develops scar tissue to things it doesn't see as itself. The scar tissue effectively becomes a shell around the implant,” she explains.

“You only need to treat or remove the implant if the patient is symptomatic,” however, “I would never say ‘don't do it,' if that's what the woman wants.”

If you are experiencing problems or unusual symptoms concerning your breast implants, you may wish to seek the expert advice of a board certified physician who can help you determine if there is reason for concern.

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