The landscape of breast augmentation is changing not only with trends, but also thanks to advances in both implant technology and minimally invasive surgical techniques that reduce downtime. Real-time data from real beauty consumers reveals what influences their decisions when seeking beauty treatments, according to New Beauty’s The State of Aesthetics Summer 2026 report, powered by the BeautyEngine platform. Key statistics from the report show that approximately 71% of implant patients have considered breast revision surgery. Moving forward, we spoke to plastic surgeons to get their take on what most influences patients to go under the knife again.

featured experts

Dr. Olga Batillo is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Houston. Dr. Mark Jewell is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Eugene, OR. Dr. David Alfonso is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Grand Rapids, MI. Michael Edwards is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Las Vegas.

implant age

According to the report, 29.4% of reoperation decisions were determined by the age of the implant. Houston plastic surgeon Olga Batiro, M.D., explains that breast revision surgery occurs periodically as the implant ages and the patient feels it’s time for a change. She says the most likely reason for this spike in revisions is related to the 2011 reauthorization of silicone breast implants, which had been banned for 14 years. “We believe that patients who had implants after 2011 are now 10 to 15 years old and need or want a replacement.”

Dr. Mark Jewell, a plastic surgeon in Eugene, Oregon, points out that healthy women in their 60s and 70s with older implants can safely undergo revision surgery with new-generation implants. He says that for most women, living with an implant is often a better option than having it removed completely.

Changes in appearance over time

Life involves physical changes, such as those caused by age, weight, and pregnancy, all of which can affect the appearance of your breasts. Approximately 25.6% said the reason for their decision to undergo revision was due to changes in appearance over time. “Changes in the breasts (also due to pregnancy or weight fluctuations) can cause breasts to sag, and women may request a breast lift (mastopexy),” explains Dr. Michael Edwards, a plastic surgeon in Las Vegas.

In addition, patients may develop capsular contracture and malposition, which is another reason for the need for breast revision surgery. The position of the implant can change over time, and the capsule often needs to be modified or tightened to elevate the implant. Dr. Edwards says that with improved surgical techniques, correcting capsular contracture has become less common. However, correction typically involves removing part or all of the capsule and “moving the implant partially under the muscle (called a repositioning procedure) if it was originally placed over the muscle.”

Other non-safety-related concerns

Dr. David Alfonso, a plastic surgeon in Grand Rapids, Michigan, believes that part of this revision trend (about 16% due to non-safety concerns) is due to women in their late 40s to early 60s choosing to opt out of breast implants. “Most of my patients who seek implant revision tend to want to have their implants modified based on evenly distributed size preferences, wanting them to be slightly larger as well as slightly smaller,” he says. Dr. Edwards added that for many women, as their breasts change over time, some choose to have their implants removed. He says many people in this position may benefit from breast lift with the addition of fat grafting to improve explant results.

Dr. Edwards added that some revision patients choose to have a second surgery because they are dissatisfied with their initial implant size selection. This emphasizes the importance of properly guiding patients through the initial surgery and ensuring they choose the right implant, not only by volume, but also by dimensions such as base width, he says.