Breast Implants Warranties Columbus OH

One good thing that came out of the temporary silicone implant moratorium by the FDA is that the warranties for both saline and silicone implants improved significantly.

Implant Companies

At this time, there are three companies making breast implants, Allergan, Mentor and Sientra. The warranties for their implants are all pretty similar. They tend to mirror one another. If one of the improves their warranty, the others generally follow suit.

Saline Implant Warranties

In general, saline implants have a lifetime warranty for rupture. If an implant ever deflates, a replacement implant will be provided for free. In addition, if a saline implant loses its integrity in the first ten years after it is inserted, compensation is provided as well to help cover costs of surgery, anesthesia and the facility. An up-grade to the financial benefit is also available, which must be paid to the manufacturer within a few weeks of the initial surgery. This up-grade essentially doubles the cash portion of the warranty. At this time, if you have a deflation of a saline implant and have to have surgery, your warranty also provides a free implant for the opposite side in case you decide to change the size of your implants during your procedure to replace the deflated one.

Silicone Implant Warranties

For silicone implants, the same lifetime replacement for rupture is offered from all three of the manufactures. If the loss of implant integrity occurs in the first ten years, insurance is offered to help cover a portion of the other costs of surgery as stated above. At this time, there is no up-grade offered for silicone gel implants like there is with saline implants.

Choosing between Saline and Silicone Implants

Warranties Change

Obviously, these warranties are subject to change over time. The above warranties reflect what is in place as of 5/25/15. Over the years, as warranties have changed, they have usually gotten better, not worse. When one company up-grades their warranty, the others generally follow suit.

Saline Up-Grade

Is it worth it to purchase the up-graded warranty on the saline implants? Those who get it and wind up using it are very glad. Those who don’t buy it and have a deflation in the first ten years wish that they could go back it time and pay for it, but it has to be done within about a month of the original surgery. The up-grade also allows patients who have a deflation in the first ten years to change to silicone implants at the time their corrective surgery at a substantial discount.

Deflation Only

The warranties by breast implant manufacturers cover deflation of the implant only; there is no manufacturers warranty for other problems related to breast implant surgery such as bleeding, infection, asymmetry or other untoward events. Warranties also only cover deflations for cosmetic surgery. They do not apply in reconstructive procedures where the cost of surgery is covered by insurance.