After more than two decades placing hundreds of silicone breast implants at Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, Dr. Koumanis has replaced implants in only three of those patients, challenging one of the most persistent misconceptions in breast augmentation
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- One of the most common questions patients ask before breast augmentation is whether their implants will need to be replaced every 10 years. Dr. Dimitri J. Koumanis, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon atSaratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC, has been placing silicone breast implants for more than 20 years, and his practice data suggests the widely repeated 10-year timeline is more misconception than medical requirement.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Koumanis has placed hundreds of silicone breast implants. Many of those patients have remained in contact with the practice, some for well over a decade. To date, he has replaced implants in three of them.
The 10-year replacement recommendation has become shorthand in breast augmentation conversations, often repeated in magazines, marketing materials, and online forums. What tends to get lost is that modern silicone implants are not designed to expire on a fixed schedule. Replacement becomes appropriate when there is a specific reason for it, such as changes in the implant itself, changes in the patient's body over time, or a shift in the patient's own preferences about size or shape.
"Patients often come in convinced they need new implants because they hit the 10-year mark. In most cases, they don't. If the implants are intact, the tissue is healthy, and the patient is happy with how they look and feel, there is no medical basis for replacing them just because the calendar says so," said Dr. Dimitri J. Koumanis, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon at Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC. "The decision to revise or replace should always be based on the individual patient."
Several factors influence how long silicone implants perform well, including the quality of the initial surgery, the type of implant, how a patient's tissue responds over time, and how consistently the patient stays in touch with their surgeon for follow-up care. The FDA recommends periodic imaging for patients with silicone implants but does not set a mandatory replacement schedule. Patients who develop symptoms, notice a change in shape or firmness, or receive imaging findings that suggest an issue should consult their surgeon promptly, but Dr. Koumanis emphasizes that these situations are the exception rather than the rule.
Dr. Koumanis is a board-certified plastic surgeon, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and holds board certification in reconstructive surgery. He performsbreast augmentation andrevision breast surgery along with a full range of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures at Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC. The practice's office-based surgery facility has held Joint Commission accreditation since 2003, one of the few in Upstate New York to earn that designation, and has maintained a flawless in-house safety record across more than 30 years of cosmetic surgery. Post-operative access to Dr. Koumanis is available to patients directly, 24 hours a day.
For more information about breast augmentation, revision surgery, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Koumanis, visithttps://www.yarinsky.com or call the practice at (518) 583-4019.
Media Contact
Dr. Dimitri J. Koumanis, Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, 1 (518) 583-4019, [email protected], https://www.yarinsky.com/
SOURCE Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery
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