Any woman considering breast implants, whether for breast augmentation, breast lift, or other procedure, will be faced with the question of which type of breast implant she is going to choose. Although there are restrictions on their use, silicone breast implants are still an option many women are considering over traditional saline breast implants.
?I use both saline breast implants as well as silicone breast implants at Pacifica Cosmetic Surgery Center,? says Dr. Douglas Hendricks in Newport Beach, California. ?Many women prefer the feel of silicone breast implant over saline implants.?
The difference between saline and silicone breast implants is the material with which each type of breast implant is filled. All breast implants are made with a silicone shell, but saline implants are filled with a sterile salt-water solution, while silicone implants are filled with a silicone gel.
Many plastic surgeons and breast augmentation patients believe that silicone breast implants are more lifelike; allowing the breast to feel and look more natural than it would with saline breast implants.
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration), however, banned the use of silicone breast implants in 1992 because they were linked to various connective tissue disorders (CTDs). Now, however, cohesive gel silicone breast implants are available under restricted situations and only to a handful of plastic surgeons.
Cohesive gel silicone breast implants were developed in response to older silicone implants being tied to harmful CTDs. If a silicone implant were to rupture with cohesive gel, the gel would not leak out into the body. Cohesive gel holds its integrity and its shape, even if the breast implant shell breaks.
?I am proud to be one of the few plastic surgeons in the country to provide my patients with the ability to use silicone breast implants,? says Dr. Hendricks in California. ?As long as my patients meet the requirements, they have the ability to use silicone breast implants in their breast surgery.?
Saline implants, on the other hand, have been tested and proven to be perfectly harmless. Hundreds of thousands of women each year choose to receive a variety of different types of saline implants.
The saline solution that fills saline breast implants will not harm the body at all if the implant ruptures. Also, saline breast implants are used by all plastic surgeons that perform breast surgeries.
If you are considering breast surgery, contact an experienced plastic surgeon near you. During your initial consultation, you will be able to find out if you should use silicone or saline breast implants.
