The "airport security" question again!!

[ViaSwiss]

I have had 10+ flights since getting an implant. TSA Precheck is nice because then you don't have to go through the full body scanner.

the times I have had to gone through a full body scanner, about 40% of them showed up on the scanner. 50% of those times, the agent just thought it was a zipper or something on my pants. 1x they asked me if I had an implant, and 1 time I told him that I had an implant. Both of those 2 times they just quickly and discretely patted me down and let me go w out any issues.

[Mark1974]

All good advice and thank you gentleman. If I were flying alone, I wouldn’t really care at all but I am flying as a small group of work colleagues and I was hoping to avoid this embarrassing exchange.

Oh this is different.

My work colleagues are mostly female teachers and if they found out I had an implant I would be mortified. Even if my colleagues were mostly men it would be a bit embarrassing.

It's too bad it has to be this way. If it were any other body part there would be no shame, but it is what it is

Mark, just tell TSA that you have implants, they don’t have to know what kind.
I’m assuming that you’ve flown with this group before and you’ve never had to be screened?
Do these women know about all your life events?
Is it possible you could have had any type of surgery and they wouldn’t have known about it?
I think you’ll be fine, just self identify and it will be a blip on the radar. If you don’t self identify, then it could get embarrassing, because they do pull you aside and go through the whole process.

Good Luck,
SWorks

I was just responding to the OP

I don't have an implant yet and haven't flown since 1996 (I'm petrified of flying)

[SWorks17]

Oh this is different.

My work colleagues are mostly female teachers and if they found out I had an implant I would be mortified. Even if my colleagues were mostly men it would be a bit embarrassing.

It's too bad it has to be this way. If it were any other body part there would be no shame, but it is what it is

Mark, just tell TSA that you have implants, they don’t have to know what kind.
I’m assuming that you’ve flown with this group before and you’ve never had to be screened?
Do these women know about all your life events?
Is it possible you could have had any type of surgery and they wouldn’t have known about it?
I think you’ll be fine, just self identify and it will be a blip on the radar. If you don’t self identify, then it could get embarrassing, because they do pull you aside and go through the whole process.

Good Luck,
SWorks

I was just responding to the OP

I don't have an implant yet and haven't flown since 1996 (I'm petrified of flying)

Oops, sorry Mark

I hope you get over your fear of flying

SWorks

[SWorks17]

Hello fellow FrankTalkers. I had a Boston Scientific Tactra malleable device implanted last summer. When I was discharged after my surgery, I received only very generic discharge instructions that mostly pertained to IPPs, and NO implant card. Believe me when I tell you that there is absolute dearth of information about malleable implants-a virtual informational desert! Even just basic information that implant recipients should know, is nowhere to be found and I've scoured the internet and FrankTalk for answers. Something as simple as...airport security (I fly out today)? Will the device be detected on Xray? I'm already sweating, wondering if I should preemptively approach TSA to be taken aside for individual screening? This has the potential of being beyond embarrassing and TSA is not known for their discretion. Those in the know, please help!!!

Tobenormalagain, just tell TSA that you have implants, they don’t have to know what kind.
I’m assuming that you’ve flown with this group before and you’ve never had to be screened?
Do these women know about all your life events?
Is it possible you could have had any type of surgery and they wouldn’t have known about it?
I think you’ll be fine, just self identify and it will be a blip on the radar. If you don’t self identify, then it could get embarrassing, because they do pull you aside and go through the whole process.

Good Luck,
SWorks

[GoodWood]

I don’t think it is necessary to say anything ahead of time. If you go through the metal detector it shouldn’t notice anything.
If you go through the body scanner and they notice something they will pat you down and you are on your way.

For years I went through the body scanner instead of the walk through metal detector because I have an implanted defibrillator. I’m hung on the slightly larger size and often wear sepretec briefs (with the different compartments). That often lit up my crotch on the scanner and they would pat me down. They were relatively efficient about it and I would be on my way.


LOTS of people get patted down for a variety of reasons. No coworker is going to grill you why you got patted down. And even if they ask you can shrug your shoulders and say “I don’t know.” The conversation won’t go any further than that.

I don’t see the benefit of announcing to the TSA ahead of time “I have a penile implant”. If the scanner lights up, they are going to pat you down.

As an aside: the last time I flew TSA signs now said that people with pacemaker/defibrillators were not to go through the micro scanner either. So now I guess I have to get a patdown every time. I think of it as a free but shitty massage. LOL

[Meagle]

It is not a issue the The for AMS implants just went though both types

[Motorheadrulz]

Ditto from everyone above. The TSA scanner simply alerts the agent there is something in your body. and shows up as a dot on their display.

Telling them before you enter the machine that you have "an implant" or metal in your body tells them to expect a ping.

You don't have to tell them what exactly it is... I just did this in 3 different countries last week.

[azmike]

The issue is not only with implants. A very large flaccid will trigger a pat down every time one passes through the full body scanner. I have a very large flaccid and whenever I don’t get the walk through scanner I get a pat down. The scanner software has a “normal” size range and if you exceed it a red X appears on your crotch.

[ready2go]

I have 2 titanium Herrington rods in my back from an accident 28 years ago . And a plate in my knee, plus a malleable implant. I don't say squat. i go through the scanner. Sometimes they use the wand as they do with anyone else and wave me on . And done.

[JetAirliner]

I fly quite a bit and have not had any issues going through TSA … If stopped, tell them that you have an implant and they can “wand” you very similar to people that have orthopedic, cardiovascular implants