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The Shelf Life of Plastic Surgery

Why your first procedure might not be your last: The plastic surgeries that might require a "tune-up"

by Emily Woodruff | COMMENT

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Breast Augmentation Breast augmentation takes the cake for the No. 1 revised surgery, according to Geldner.

However, it isn't because of leaking implants or boob jobs gone wrong that women get an update. Geldner says it's because many patients decide that bigger is better.

"If you take that [factor] out, replacement isn't that common," he says.

But statistics suggest otherwise. The FDA reported in 2011 that between 20 to 40 percent of women who get implants will have a second surgery, either to remove or replace them -- within 10 years. The good news? Most implants come with a lifetime warranty. The bad news? The warranty doesn't actually cover the price of the operation, just the implant itself (which can cost anywhere from $300 for saline to $1,700 for "gummy bear" implants).

If your implant springs a leak or otherwise causes an issue in under ten years, the implant company will help offset some of the operation cost, but not much. Allergan, for example, only covers $1,200 to $2,400, depending on the warranty purchased. That means the rest is an entirely out-of-pocket expense. Translation? Don't be surprised if your initial $10,000 breast augmentation requires another $10,000 (or more --thanks, inflation) tune-up ten-plus years later.

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Plastic surgery isn't exactly a small undertaking. Unlike Botox, which fades over time, plastic surgery is considered permanent. It's a once-and-you're-done procedure -- a smart long-term investment, which is why those of us willing to go under the knife will swallow the hefty price tag. But, as it turns out, a nip and tuck meant to erase the hands of time can defy age for only so long. And, often, patients who thought their first procedure would be their last find themselves shelling out for a tune-up. According to Chicago board-certified plastic surgeon Peter Geldner, M.D., so-called plastic surgery revisions may be inevitable -- because no one, not even your surgeon, can say whether your procedure will stand the test of time. "You cannot predict what will happen. We take you as you are now, and we change you as you are now," says Geldner.

Here, the shelf life of the most common plastic surgery procedures.