Women can't keep breast implants for life: FDA

my mum had implants 23 years ago- and still has same ones, never had a re-op and the quality of implants then was waaaaaayyy be;ow now!! She is still happy with them. Her sister had them at same time, and ditto! still in. I guess it depends on lots of factors.

The advantages of allergan naturelle/ nagor/ equivalents are not just the 'lifetime guarantee' it's the fact that they have less chance of rippling, cc etc..ie they are higher quality. guarantees are confusing so i havent taken this into my decision much, but the other factors were impoprtant to me. anyway, the surgeon I saw would, in her words, never put a cui in anyone...it's the same with all the bapras surgeons from what i can gather. but then look at my mum n aunt- way inferior implants and still fine 23 yrs on!! xx

Really interesting, I'm currently researching for a re-op (that's why I came to this site) and I believe I may be one, if not the oldest person, I've seen on here. So perhaps you'd like an opinion from 'further down the line'. I've always been aware of the 10yr issue and have been budgeting for it, but it may be that the issue is wider than that, because as you get older beasts aren't the only thing to 'go south' as someone expressed it. so along with the re-op BA I'm also considering some facial work (basically wrinkle reduction things) so perhaps another savings tin! is in order.
Now the hard facts, I'm 62 and came to BA late, my current 340 overs have been in 9 years with no trouble and that why I'm looking to the re-op and other 'work' next year, provided I get the go-ahead from my GP. An important point because other things tend to go wrong as you get older. Based on the age of my parents on death (believe me as you get near pension age this will take on a new importance) I expect another 10 years of life, so CUIs (again) will see me out. I also expect to retire next year after which financial restraints will limit my ability to save for future work which is another important consideration.
Now I don't wish to be morbid, but from my perspective the issues are greater and I expect many here will not have even thought of thinking so far ahead. On the other hand BA was one of the best things I've ever decided on.
Oh and thanks for this site, I've done a considerable amount of very informative reading since joining.

I've come across this post after random browsing...
I tentatively put my hand up to the buying into the 'you don't have to change them unless they're broke' my PCo-ordinator waffled on about 25yrs etc & revision surgery only needed if a problem, but I could keep them in otherwise.
I was looking into these so called 'lifetime' warranties as a result of being caught in the PIP implant cross-fire & having to face the prospect of unscheduled further surgery.

Boobie fund is perhaps a good idea but I'm v wary now, hubby reckons I should just remove & leave them alone (not replace)
I guess I was stupidly naive to think I could get away with just the one op... but they do sell it to you like that & don't indicate that once done expect more ops in the future!...

now totally confused as to what to do
:(

If it's any consolation I have friends and family who've had them well over ten years. My best friends has had the same ones for 17 years now. I knew someone who had hers for 25 years, and was still happy with them, they still looked and felt great.

I know all surgery involves risks, implants are foreign objects that may involve complications, and some to need replacing sooner. But PIPs are a complete different thing, I wouldn't compare these to any other implants currently on the market. xxx

I agree I don't think ppl should compare how long there implants are going to be in with others, everybody is different so I may need mine doing in 10 years whereas someone may have there's for 20. It's all down to how ur body copes with them. I no as I'm 23 I will need mine replacing once maybe twice in my lifetime. xxx

I did read a study the other day on silicone implants and that they should be replaced after 8 years. I will try to post it later.

Well I'm about to get a re op afer over 20 years ! (now got cc in 1 breast). I have also been told a few years back by a very respected surgeon that basically "if its not broken then dont fix it !" he told me (and I have also read this from other PS's in the states) that after 10 years or so it is a very good idea to get regular scans but apart from that if you are still lucky enough to have no complications then dont get a re op just due the length of time you,ve had them..

oo that is good to know hope i am one of the lucky ones like yourself madrigle66 and get a good few years out of mine, good luck with your re-op xx

Thanks for the good luck wishes !!! Fingers and toes crossed X !

I'm quite aware of this and everyone who even considers a BA should be aware too . On the allergan's homepage, it even says you should take an MRI every 3 years just in case of a silent rupture. So that's what I'll be doing:)

Wow am leanring so much from all of you guys - I am yet to even have my first consultation as I live in Saudi (husband works there) but spend long periods of time in the UK where we keep "our" house in Warwickshire. So will have my BA in UK (plus have 3 small kids so need the grandparents to help out while I'm still sore!) Have a consultation booked with Dr David Johnson in Oxford this easter when I go for holiday but am trying to find more reputable surgeons in my area - any ideas? Anywhere in Warwick/Banbury or Leamington Spa would be perfect. Thanks xxx

The article won't load for me... is it out of date?

Hi, i paid an extra £600 for the Allergan Natrelle Inspira TSX Implants, after being told that they have a lifetime warranty, and that the implants are so good that I could probably have them in for 15 maybe 20 years...

Does this mean that i was basically lied to?? xx

I have paid for lifetime! thinking it meant lifetime not the lifetime of the implant 10 years! Do you think i should ask for my money back? at no time did anyone tell me the were not gaurented for my lifetime. I would ring my PC but she has gone to have her BA today! xx

If you're unhappy with the after-care and the advice given sweetheart, then you could enquire about it, but whether or not you'd get a refund I don't know as the aftercare is out there for you to read. Yes, some clinics cleverly disguise their aftercare to make it seem better than it is, but it is all written there for you to read hun and if you haven't taken the time to read it before signing, then I would think that's on you hun.

Sorry that's probably not what you wanted to hear babe. But call for sure, it's always worth a try, but I wouldn't hold your breath babe, I think you'd probably lose your deposit.

In saying that, if you're VERY unhappy with the aftercare provided and you do lose your deposit, it may well be worth weighing up whether you feel it's worth losing that to gain better care for yourself elsewhere. xx

With Transform, if you had a problem that is 'listed' in there policy then they 'should' honour that and you 'should' get a free re-op, however be prepared with these larger companies as the 'free' can suddenly turn into you having to pay a part payment for one reason or another, it's not always the case but it has been known so be prepared, it happened to me as well as other women here, I now keep a boobie fund in the event of my having to need a re-op anytime soon, that might sound daft, but last year after only 3 years and still within my aftercare I had to fork out a further £3500 for my re-op and it was a definate struggle to find the money quickly as I had a rupture and needed to have the implant removed ASAP. xx[/quote]

Hi Cookie, so how come u had to pay additional £3500? What was the aftercare offered to u originally?

I am getting worried now.... I went with Transform and paid an extra £600 for Allergan Inspira Implants as they are supposed to be better!?

What about the women that have had thier implants in for 15-20 years?? Or is that just not true?

Thanks xxx

fairycake22 wrote:Hi Cookie, so how come u had to pay additional £3500? What was the aftercare offered to u originally?

Well, I naively went to Transform expecting to pay for 1 BA and three years down the line ended up having to pay for 2!

The quote from Transform aftercare policy is what I wasn't covered for and what I hadn't properly understood or bargained for babe.

Transform wrote:Adverse events or reactions other than specified above in "What is covered"

almost 3 years after my BA my implant ruptured. This was covered by my after care and I was told all surgery costs and replacement implants would be free... now the addition costs were due to my body reacting to that rupture, expanding and distorting the breast which required further surgery to fix the damage, even though this was directly related to the rupture, because it was an adverse reaction, I then had to find the money to pay for that myself, or Transform would have replaced the implant and left me with a deformed breast because it wasn't in the contract for them to fix that, so therefore not their responsibilty hun.

I am getting worried now.... I went with Transform and paid an extra £600 for Allergan Inspira Implants as they are supposed to be better!?

Allergan Inspira are a very good implant sweetheart, but no implant is guaranteed to last you a lifetime which is why ALL women having a BA should be prepared for the fact that it's quite possible you'll need further surgery again as you must have read in the FDA report in the opening post.

What about the women that have had thier implants in for 15-20 years?? Or is that just not true?

Yes, it's possible... but the odds are that by ten years post-op most of us will need a re-op babe... many women go through life never having a scan to check their implants as the cost of these scans are on you, so there could possibly be women out there with silent ruptures (a rupture that presents no symptoms) that 'think' their implants are just fine and yet, they may well be ruptured...

Truth of the matter is though sweetheart, there ARE risks attatched to having a BA. I was so naive when I had my first BA, I knew nothing of complications, just heard mumbles from my surgeon and was even lied to and told my implants would last for life! I dived right in without a second thought and oh, how I wish I'd had the opportunity all of you women have here to be so informed and prepared pre-BA. But I was stupid babe and research got left behind when excitement took over... then 3 years later, I really didn't know what hit me!

I was 'unlucky' for my implants to have only lasted 3 years and was absolutely devastasted when I found out my implant had ruptured and just wasn't prepared for that, so when I was forced into that position only then did I do my research and LOTS of it! I thought those risks over long and hard lovely during a very difficult time for me and thought about my boobs and what I had pre-BA.... then came to the conclusion that the risks were worth it for 'me'. I LOVED my boobs and everything that came with them and in a strange way, what happened to me brought me here to all of you, to push that information forward so that YOU are informed! YOU know exactly what to prepare for and you wont ever feel lost, frantic and worst of all angry at yourself as I do babe.

Having a BA is going to be one of the best things you're ever going to do in your life sweetheart - Right up there with your wedding day and the day you bring your kids into this world, it's really that amazing and incredibly life changing after you've been through all of your recovery. Going into this informed of the risks involved empowers you and gives you an opportunity to prepare for those possibilities. I promise you it's a good thing, but it has to be right for 'you' and as you have already had your BA babe, at least you can go through life with your implants always prepared, unlike I was hun xx

I paid the extra too for the Allergan and I was happy to do so The benefit of being alot older than most of you youngsters is that, and my surgeon agreed, unless I get cc again or have a rupture, I should be lucky enough not to have to have another b a. I hope not, just picture me for a moment , no teeth,blue rinse,hearing aid and zimmer frame making my way into the hospital

Hi Cookie,

oh gosh, I think i am just as naive as u. I went with Transform thinking i will only ever have to have one ba as i got the Allergan Inspira Implants... how silly am i! I think i will start a booby fund on payday... im going to need it at one point in my life im sure!

Its awful that they would then make u pay extra for something that u had no control over.... its wrong really... but all places like this have a hidden agenda, they probably end up making extra money out of it as well. So wot implants did u have originally? How did u find out they had ruptured?

Do we have to arrange a breast scan every couple of years to make sure the implants r ok?? Where would I do this and how much do they cost?

So wen u have additional surgery does that mean additional scarring, or do they do it over the scar that was already there?

Its good to know I have good implants, im a little worried tho, because if i have to have revision surgery i cant see them paying the extra again for the Allergan Inspira Implants...!? n SURELY ITS the surgeons fault for not doing my boobs correctly in the first place?

So what happens wen u have a silent rupture is it deadly? or just bad for u?

I think I may have been naive diving in and getting mine done so quickly! because it is so expensive and if wot happened to u happens to me i dont know what id do i dont have any spare money!

Cookie ur brilliant, I m so glad i found this site and u! u helped me so much already, iv stopped getting so teary now as well. xxx

fairycake22 wrote:oh gosh, I think i am just as naive as u. I went with Transform thinking i will only ever have to have one ba as i got the Allergan Inspira Implants... how silly am i! I think i will start a booby fund on payday... im going to need it at one point in my life im sure!

I think that's an excellent idea babe and one so many of us seem to be doing post-op too :thumbs:

Its awful that they would then make u pay extra for something that u had no control over.... its wrong really... but all places like this have a hidden agenda, they probably end up making extra money out of it as well.

That's true. I was really quite angry about it at the time hun, but as time has gone on although I still personally believe reactions to a complication covered by after care should also be covered, unfortunately what I'd like and what's actually available is something I just had and have to deal with.

So wot implants did u have originally?

CUIs babe. Even know after MUCH research, I believe I genuinely was just really unlucky as I KNOW the rigorous testing Allergan does applies just as much to CUIs as it does to their superior implants. I was told by staff at the hospital that a surgeon has actually run a CUI over with his car to test just how robust they are and it bounced right back into shape, fully intact!

Also with all the PIP scandal, Allergan released a press statement reassuring all with any of Allergans implants (NATRELLE, McGhan and CUI) were 'safe'.

You can read the statement HERE if you'd like.

How did u find out they had ruptured?

I started with breast pain hun which was then accompanied by raised lymph nodes in my armpits. I have an auto-immune dissorder so I was sent to see my thoracic surgeon who sent me for an MRI scan, it was this scan that revealed I had a ruptured implant sweetheart and was the 'clinical evidence' I was able to supply to Transform.

Do we have to arrange a breast scan every couple of years to make sure the implants r ok?? Where would I do this and how much do they cost?

You don't 'have to' arrange a scan at all if you don't want to babe, but if you'd like the reassurance of knowing your implants are OK, I should imagine if you have no symptoms at all, then every 5 years would be sensible, I should imagine, unless you'd like to be scanned earlier. The only reason I'm having one just before I'm 3 years post-op is because my boobs will be 3 in November, and Transform back then were only offering a 3 year after care policy, so should I be unlucky to have an early rupture happen a second time, I would be able to claim on that policy and if I dont have a rupture at least I have reassurance, so a win-win for me.

An MRI would cost around £350 to be done privately and you could approach your local hospital or a private hospital such as Spire or BMI to have this done. If you approach your GP, I'm surse they'd be happy to recommend the best place for you to go.

So wen u have additional surgery does that mean additional scarring, or do they do it over the scar that was already there?

If you're just having a re-op to replace your implants, your scars would be just as they are now. Your surgeon would cut away the old scar tissue and create a fresh scar from the new skin tissue you have after having had the old scar cut away.

Its good to know I have good implants, im a little worried tho, because if i have to have revision surgery i cant see them paying the extra again for the Allergan Inspira Implants...!? n SURELY ITS the surgeons fault for not doing my boobs correctly in the first place

No sweetheart, it isn't the surgeons fault at all. All products have wear and tear over time and breast implants are no different.

In the case of CC occuring, this is your body reacting to a foriegn body being implanted into your body.

In the case of rupture, this is an implant fault and nothing your surgeons babe.

Should you be unlucky and have a complication whilst within your after care agreement and had no adverse reaction to that complication, then the implants would be replaced free of charge hun, this would include all surgery costs too.

When you're outside of your after care agreement, with Allergan Inspiras, if the fault lies with the implant, Allergan will replace the implants for free, you will however need to cover all surgery costs though yourself.

So what happens wen u have a silent rupture is it deadly? or just bad for u?

Well it's not deadly hun, but it's really not advisable to leave the implants inside of you after they have ruptured. I actually consider myself 'lucky' to have had a reaction, my implant although form stable had leaked beyond the capsule and filled some of my lymph nodes with silicone and I ended up having to have those lymph nodes removed by my thoracic surgeon. My breast inside was in my surgeons words 'a mess' had I not presented symptoms I would have continued to go through life with silicone in my lymph nodes and my breast filled with a sticky mess of silicone also and just the thought of that makes me wanna rush out now and get an MRI lol.

I think I may have been naive diving in and getting mine done so quickly! because it is so expensive and if wot happened to u happens to me i dont know what id do i dont have any spare money!

I know hun, that part is a scary thought I agree, but it is VERY rare for an implant to rupture so early babe, so if you start saving into your boobie fund now, you should have quite a substantial bit of money put away 3 years from now anyway to give you that security I never had :thumbs:

Cookie ur brilliant, I m so glad i found this site and u! u helped me so much already, iv stopped getting so teary now as well. xxx

That's the best news EVER babe, you really dont know how happy I am to read that - You keep smilin' lovely, 6 months from now, you're gonna be in complete boobie heaven! Anytime at all you need us... we're ALWAYS here for you xx

Hi Cookie,

I have posted on my 'unhappy with overs' thread about my po check with the nurse.

I cant believe u had to pay all that money that really should have been covered, theres always a catch somewhere isnt there.

So an MRI is what i will need to have, not like a mammogram? £350 wow thats not cheap! Lucky that we dont have to pay for that every year!

Oh thats good news about my implants, that even after the 10 years if anything happens to the implants they replace them free of charge. Is that right? Would i just contact allergan directly if that was the case?

When i said it would be the surgeons fault i meant if my right one didn't drop then it would be his fault... i mean he should make them even right?? So if they ended up being different after the 3 months then it would be down to him, with his expertise he should have made it so they fall evenly!?

Anyway... i wont think about that at the moment, ill leave it the three months.... ill try to stop fretting about it... arghhhh!

Thank you so much Cookie, u have been amazing and really helped me. I will keep u posted on my progression... 15 days po today.

xxxx

fairycake22 wrote:Oh thats good news about my implants, that even after the 10 years if anything happens to the implants they replace them free of charge. Is that right? Would i just contact allergan directly if that was the case?

The 'implants' only would be free babe, but all surgery/surgeon/hospital/meds costs would be yours. Your clinic would give you the implants sweetheart, you'd have no need to contact Allergan as your clinic then reclaims the cost back from Allergan themselves.

When i said it would be the surgeons fault i meant if my right one didn't drop then it would be his fault... i mean he should make them even right?? So if they ended up being different after the 3 months then it would be down to him, with his expertise he should have made it so they fall evenly!?

Yes lovely, that's exactly right

Anyway... i wont think about that at the moment, ill leave it the three months.... ill try to stop fretting about it... arghhhh!

haha... you do right to stop fretting fairycake 'cos you're going to be just fine! :thumbs:

Thank you so much Cookie, u have been amazing and really helped me. I will keep u posted on my progression... 15 days po today.

xxxx

My how time flies hey! and already one boob has dropped! The other will follow in it's own good time and as they continue their progress I look forward to hearing all about it lovely and there's absolutely no need for thanks, I'm just so glad to hear you sounding much happier xx

Super informative - this really is something to put in the mixer when making final decisions. This really is a point that I feel is overlooked when making a decision. I was aware of a 15 year re-op but knowing how young a lot of girls are having this surgery and knowing what I was like with my health at that age (bit reckless) it is a real worry. I can see lots of problems ahead for many that are not fully aware of the implications and didn't really read the small print. Its a lot of money to pay once let alone 2 or 3 times. Thanks Cookie - you are the boob oracle!

this is the most useful thread i have EVER come across so far during my BA research, and it's exactly about the topic i'm thinking about most at the moment..
i was one of the ones who started out thinking i would only need one BA unless something went wrong, and even then i was weighing up risks vs benefits, but was mainly reeeaally enthusiastic!
but then i discovered they need replacing like every 10 years if not earlier!
so if i were to go ahead with my first BA now (i am turning 27 in a few weeks), theoretically, would i have to assume to need another 4 - 5 BAs in my life, so every 10 years, each time at about 4-5k??
apart from the physical strain (5 ops on a healthy body?) i think this would be a MASSIVE financial strain, and could mean a deposit on a house if i decided differently :( not that i am at that point yet, but it does make you think......

are any of the other pre BA girls having these thoughts, or for post op girls, did you have these thoughts but what were the stronger arguments for you or how did you get past these doubts?

thank you all, so confused at the moment xx

Very interesting thread. As with any guarantee or insurance, they have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I chose the Natrelle implant not for the 'lifetime guarantee' but because they were newer, had stronger layers etc meaning less chance of rupture, rippling & so on. Of course I know that complications are still possible, but if paying a few hundred pound more means this is less likely to happen then it seemed worth it to me.

Also, if I am complication free (fingers crossed) they will last until my early /mid 50s, meaning one more op should do me just fine. When I am 70 I will probably be more worried about incontinence etc than my boobs xx