The Truth about Breast Implant Rupture Risks

Plastic surgery is on the rise, and with it the growing trend of women choosing to augment their breasts with implants that accentuate their natural curves. However, skeptics love to argue that the risks may outweigh the rewards.

A recent incident involving Venezuelan Playboy model Diosa Canales highlights one of the main irrational fears surrounding implants. During a pole dancing routine, she slipped and landed flat on her chest, rupturing one of her implants, which required her to be rushed to the emergency room for surgery.

On the surface, news like this seems to back up the idea that breast implants aren’t reliable, and the media certainly benefits by portraying the incident that way. Since talking about safety isn’t nearly as sensational, that means the exhaustive testing and admittedly dull FDA approval process is glossed over in these types of stories. The statistics proving time and again that breast implants are safe just don’t sell.

Saline vs. Silicone

Saline and silicone breast implants are the two options for breast augmentation. There isn’t much difference in the risk of rupture between the two: the risk for saline implants is only around one percent per implant a year, with silicone implants clocking in at four percent over the first four years. Barring a freak accident, like the widely publicized one mentioned above, there’s no reason to expect that breast implants will rupture during normal daily life.

If a rupture does occur, resulting symptoms can be quickly spotted in saline implants. Because saline implants are filled with a solution instead of a gel, breast deflation normally occurs rapidly, as the solution is harmlessly absorbed into the body. The thicker gel filling silicone implants, though, is designed to stay put, so ruptures can be better detected with an MRI scan.