RoyKim

Breast Enhancement - Saline & Silicone Implants

Types of breast implants - Saline vs. Silicone

There are many different types of implants available. Two major ones are saline and silicone gel implants. In both cases, the implant shell is made of silicone elastomer envelope.

Saline implants

Saline implants can be inflated to the desired size with sterile saline. They are inserted during surgery completely empty, and the surgeon fills them with saline solution during surgery.

Since the implants are empty when they are surgically inserted, the scar is slightly smaller than is necessary for silicone gel breast implants (which are filled with silicone before the surgery is performed).

All implants, including saline implants, vary in shape, volume, expandability, shell thickness and shell surface. Therefore, they are easy to customize to your overall body height, weight, chest length, chest width, and current amount of breast tissue.

Picture shows saline breast implant

Silicone Implants

Silicone implants are filled with a fixed amount of silicone gel. Silicone implants vary in shell surface (smooth/textured), shape, volume, and shell thickness. Most silicone gel-filled implants are not adjustable.

Recently, an improved form of gel was developed. This newer type of silicone gel implant is called cohesive gel. These cohesive gel implants can retain their shape even if the shell ruptures, since they are slightly thicker in consistency.

Cohesive gel implant cut to show no leakage

Silicone breast implant

Silicone gel-filled breast implants are available for selective situations: women seeking breast reconstruction or revision of an existing breast implant, women who have had breast cancer surgery, a severe injury to the breast, a birth defect that affects the breast, or a medical condition causing a severe breast abnormality. Also, silicone implants have to be placed by an investigator enrolled in an official FDA study. Dr. Kim Roy is FDA investigator involved in both FDA studies, Mentor and Inamed.

Some surgeons believe that silicone implants have a more natural look and feel than saline implants because silicone gel has a texture that is similar to breast tissue.

An advantage of saline implants is lower cost when compared to silicone implants.

Saline implants also have some disadvantages compared to silicone implants. Ruptures happen rather more suddenly than in silicone gel implants. Some women feel the movement of the saline solution as a discomfort.

Both types of breast implants require maintenance. Your plastic surgeon will inform you of what this involves. Also, when you have a mammogram, be sure to inform the technician that you have a breast implant.

Learn more about Breast Augmentation:

• On-Q Pain pump for plastic surgery patients.
• Breast Enhancement FAQ's
• Breast Implant Sizing
• Capsular Contracture

To schedule an appointment or to learn more about a breast enhancement, please contact us today. Or, click to read more about breast enhancement in San Francisco.