Expired? When should I have a breast implant prophylaxis?

An implant – any, whether dental or those used to correct the body – have a certain expiration date. In addition, they require certain preventive measures, which many often do not know about. What should be considered in relation to one of the most popular types of implants – chest – told plastic, maxillofacial surgeon Amjad Al-Yousef.

Implants in plastic surgery are used to correct various parts of the body. There are chest, buttock and shin implants (to increase the volume in the shin area – cruroplasty). The most popular are the chest and buttocks.

Breast implants are divided by type into round and anatomical (drop-shaped). And their forms, in turn, are divided into subforms:

• with low
• with an average
• high profile,
• with a super high profile.

“The profile is responsible for how much the silicone implant protrudes forward. With its help, an individual breast shape is modeled for each specific girl with the features of her natural physique. The more striking effect a woman wants to achieve, the higher the profile, ”says the specialist.

Best before date

Manufacturers have been saying for a long time that implants are life-long and there is no need to carry out any manipulations with them. It is worth checking only if the chest began to bother, says Amjad Al-Yousef. For example, encapsulation (violation of integrity), contracture (narrowing) of the implant, or the preservation of the shell may have occurred.

Over the past decade, different recommendations have come from manufacturers, the specialist notes. The implant needs to be replaced every 10 years. “That is, any implant, despite the fact that it is preserved, has not leaked anywhere, the capsule is good, it still needs to be changed,” the doctor notes.

There are people who live with the same implants for decades, do not change anything and do not plan, says Amjad Al-Yousef. “For such patients, I strongly recommend that ultrasound diagnostics be performed by a mammologist in order to track and understand in time if any changes have occurred,” the plastic surgeon recommends.

It is necessary to conduct such a survey annually to keep this issue under control. Therefore, the main prevention of a breast implant is an ultrasound scan by a mammologist.

In addition, a woman will always understand and feel by touch if something happened to the added structure: whether it began to contour, when the edges of the implant become visible, whether contracture occurs. If such problems arise, a woman should immediately contact her surgeon to identify problems and take the necessary measures, the plastic surgeon warns.

It is not worth ignoring these recommendations, since in some cases problems may begin due to prophylaxis not done in time.