--- title: Risks of Getting Breast Implants, According to a Surgeon description: arlier this week, the FDA reported 359 cases and nine deaths from a rare cancer linked to breast implants. canonical: https://time.com/4711730/breast-implant-risks/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-23T21:55:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T04:00:50.095Z article:section: Health og:title: The Risks of Breast Implants, According to a Surgeon og:description: Any woman considering the procedure should know these og:url: https://time.com/4711730/breast-implant-risks/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2813c1f041c6833a/6988bfaccf40a8030ac46f31/breast-implant-surgery-cancer-risk.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5016 og:image:height: 2822 og:image:alt: A breast implant and scalpel og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Risks of Breast Implants, According to a Surgeon twitter:description: Any woman considering the procedure should know these twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2813c1f041c6833a/6988bfaccf40a8030ac46f31/breast-implant-surgery-cancer-risk.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Are the Risks of Breast Implants, According to a Surgeon > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=251e6d52-775e-421a-84be-e43f159b1a83&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [Jenna Birch / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jenna Birch / Health.com Contributor Mar 23, 2017 9:55 PM UTC  A breast implant and scalpel A breast implant and scalpel Getty Images by [Jenna Birch / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jenna Birch / Health.com Contributor Mar 23, 2017 9:55 PM UTC There are risks involved in every surgical procedure, but this is one you may not have expected: The FDA recently reported 359 cases and nine deaths from a rare cancer linked to breast implants. The cancer is [anaplastic large cell lymphoma](http://www.health.com/syndication/what-to-know-about-the-breast-implants-linked-to-cancer) (ALCL), which impacts the cells around the implant. This non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is not a form of [breast cancer](http://www.health.com/breast-cancer), but can rather be found in the skin or lymph nodes. “It has presented in women who had problems with the implant, like lumps or asymetry,” says Dr. Clara Lee, a reconstructive surgeon at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Women have breast implants for two reasons: augmentation or reconstruction after [mastectomies](http://www.health.com/breast-cancer/double-mastectomy-treatment). The cancer could develop in either situation, though the risk is low. ALCL is estimated to occur in [1 in 300,000 women](http://www.thepsf.org/Documents/Clinical/PROFILE/profile-faq.pdf) with implants. “The cancer seems to be slow-growing, and most of the women had the tumor removed and treated,” Lee explains. “But there are enough cases now, in addition to deaths, that the FDA issued this [warning](http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm547622.htm).” Aside from ALCL, there are other risks involved with breast implants that any woman considering the procedure should know. Lee highlights the following for her patients before they go under the knife: ### **Just after surgery** Lee says she tells her patients that they could see issues right away. “Shortly after surgery, most of the risks have to do with the healing process,” she explains. “The incisions could heal slower than usual, or the patient could develop an infection.” In the latter case, antibiotics might be administered. If that doesn’t work, the surgeon may have to remove the implants. ### **Within the first year** As the implants settle in, there are occasional problems, says Lee. The first is “implant malposition,” where you might notice the implant isn’t sitting right within the breast. This can happen for any number of reasons, as the implant moves or shifts before or after surgery. “The other risk is rippling of the implant,” Lee says, which you might be able to feel or notice beneath the skin. ### **During the first several years** Lee says that the most concerning risks for patients arise within the first few years after their surgery. The two biggest ones are the implant leaking and capsular contracture. Implants may develop a hole in the outer layer of silicone from wear and tear. In the case of a leak, some women have the implant removed and replaced, while others may not notice right away and simply live with a small puncture, says Lee. Before gel silicone implants were introduced, the risk of a leak was [around 10](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4228218/)[%](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4228218/) in the first decade; now, Lee says that risk has dropped a bit. Capsular contracture occurs when a layer of scar tissue develops around the implant, causing the capsule of tissue around the breast to shrink, and the breasts to feel too hard or firm. The issue can range from mild to severe, and Lee says some patients may elect to undergo a capsulectomy to take the implant out temporarily, and remove the thickened capsule. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_What the Perfect Breast Looks Like, According to Men and Women_](http://www.health.com/breast-cancer/what-the-perfect-breast-looks-like-according-to-men-and-women/?xid=time) ### **Five to 10 years later** In terms of long-ranging undesired outcomes, Lee says a patient should still be aware of leaking, capsular contracture and ALCL—all of which can develop in 5 or 10 years after surgery. In the case of the cancer, tell your doctor if you develop any symptoms like hardness, swelling, redness or pain in the breast. Lee says a common misconception is that you must have implants replaced after the 10-year mark. If there are no issues, there may not be a need; but the FDA estimates 20% of women will need to have their [implants removed or replaced](http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/ucm064106.htm) within the first 8 to 10 years. Before and after surgery, talk to your plastic surgeon about all options and risks involved in the procedure, Lee says. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/mind-body/breast-implants-cancer-other-risks/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4711730/breast-implant-risks/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4711730/breast-implant-risks/"},"headline":"These Are the Risks of Breast Implants, According to a Surgeon","datePublished":"2017-03-23T21:55:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:00:50.095Z","description":"arlier this week, the FDA reported 359 cases and nine deaths from a rare cancer linked to breast implants.","url":"https://time.com/4711730/breast-implant-risks/","keywords":["Cancer","Surgery"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2813c1f041c6833a/6988bfaccf40a8030ac46f31/breast-implant-surgery-cancer-risk.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jenna Birch / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2813c1f041c6833a/6988bfaccf40a8030ac46f31/breast-implant-surgery-cancer-risk.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A breast implant and scalpel","caption":"A breast implant and scalpel","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4711730/breast-implant-risks/","name":"These Are the Risks of Breast Implants, According to a Surgeon"}}]}] ```