Medical Silicone - More Than Breast Implants, a Breakthrough 

Both are approved by the FDA but that is better? Each has its own benefits and advantages. Each has its own potential liabilities and disadvantages. Neither is perfect. But both have their good points. After having a physical examination, an in depth consultation and a thorough review of all the various pro's and con's along with your chicago plastic surgeon, an informed choice can be made. But there really is not any wrong answer or better implant - the implant that represents the best overall choice for you is the proper one. Let's have a look at a number of the key points you should be considering in your choice making process.

The saline (physiological salt water) which can be used to fill saline breast implants comes directly from an IV saline bag. In place of entering your circulatory system though an IV, the saline undergoes the sterile tubing right to the implant. No one is doing research on the safety of sterile IV saline; thousands of people receive IV saline everyday all over the world. If it is safe enough to go straight into your veins, does it stand to reason so it would be just like safe to fill a breast implant with? This is an absolutely 100% safe fluid which will be completely identical to one's natural body fluid. The silicone gel inside silicone implants has been studied exhaustively. The FDA concluded that approval as a safe and effective device was warranted, granting such status in 2006. But studies remain ongoing and further long term evaluation and research mandated by the FDA is still pending. So silicone safety information is nearly the "slam dunk" it's for saline. Please see our associated article, "Are Silicone Implants Safe?" to learn more on this subject.

According to FDA stipulations, patients must be age 22 or older to receive silicone gel implants. There is no age stipulation for saline implants.When ordered for you personally and your procedure by your plastic surgeon's office, silicone implants are roughly double the cost of saline implants.

Rippling is a phenomenon which occurs very commonly with saline implants but is incredibly uncommon with silicone implants. Rippling is characterized by small longitudinal ridges, just like the ripples on a pond, that could be felt along the underside or the outer side of the breast where in actuality the tissues are often their thinnest. In extreme cases, the ripples could even be visible. However, a lot of the time when rippling does occur it is of a very minimal nature. Patients with really low body fat, a tiny body frame, thin skin and/or stretchmarks on the breasts, and minimal breast tissue have reached higher risk for significant rippling. But rippling can occur in anyone. Picking a silicone implant lowers this risk substantially.

For patients searching for better symmetry due to any degree of size difference between the sides, the fine tuning adjustability that can be best realized only with saline implants is a significant asset. Silicone implants are not adjustable.The inframammary (under the breast) crease incision is the absolute most commonly used and preferred incision by most plastic surgeons. The natural shadow and crease under the breast tends to additionally hide the typically thin, hard to see final scar quite well. This incision can be properly used for either kind of implant. The incision size is normally about one inch or less for saline implants,reborn which are inserted empty, then filled and adjusted once properly situated within the pocket that was designed for them. The incision must certanly be made bigger (about two inches) to allow the insertion of the pre-filled, fixed total volume of the silicone implant.

Saline implants have a ~ 1% - 2% annually leak rate; silicone implants have somewhat lower rate with a significantly less than a 1% annually leak rate. The chance for leak/rupture with both types of implants generally increases with age the implant. Leak/rupture rates will also be higher for implants used in revision or reconstruction procedures.

In case a saline implant leaks, the saline is harmlessly absorbed by your body and the breast will ultimately commence to shrink. It becomes very obvious quickly which is the medial side that leaked! No x-rays or special tests are needed. But silicone isn't absorbed by the human body and, therefore, it could be harder to detect a trickle or a break with no x-ray study. The breast might look and feel completely fine - 30% or more of silicone gel implant leaks are not obvious, and not detectable by physical examination or appearance. An MRI is the better study for answering any question of a solution leak, and the FDA recommends routine MRI screening for girls with silicone gel implants. Interestingly, the obviousness of a leaky saline implant is perceived by some to really be a disadvantage. The removal/replacement of a ruptured saline breast implant is not a true medical emergency although it may be a pressing social emergency! The times among diagnosis and treatment might fall on a holiday getaway or during swimsuit weather. Not pleasant when one side has deflated! But here's where the "hidden" nature of the ruptured silicone gel implant might be an advantage - until its replacement it will most likely still look virtually identical to the non-ruptured side!