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Breast Implant Types in Beverly Hills

Discuss Silicone vs. Saline with a Skilled Beverly Hills Breast Surgeon

If you would like to improve your breast shape or size, you may be considering breast augmentation with silicone gel or saline implants. It is quite common for women to think hard before choosing a particular implant type and there are many factors worth considering before you make the decision for yourself. At Simply Breasts, our breast surgery specialists can fully explain to you each implant type that we have. With over a decade of experience, we have become familiar with the different pros and cons of the different implant types that we provide.

If you are confused about whether to choose silicone gel or saline implants for your breast surgery, our doctors can help. Call for a free initial consultation at (310) 278-0000!

Benefits of Silicone Implants

After halting the sale of older silicone implant styles in 1992 due to safety concerns, the FDA approved the use of a new generation of silicone gel implants in 2006 after extensive research and clinical testing. Silicone implants are particularly good for women who do not have much soft tissue coverage, offering a more natural, softer feel that is closer to natural breast tissue.* While saline implants are filled post-implantation, silicone gel implants come from the manufacturer pre-filled. The silicone gel in modern silicone implants is a thick, semi-cohesive substance that has the consistency of a gummy bear candy.

Advantages of Saline Breast Implants

Saline breast implants are made of a silastic shell which is essentially solid silicone. The saline implants can be inserted through small incisions as they are placed in the prepared surgical pocket deflated and rolled-up into a narrow cylinder. After the implant is in the appropriate space under your breast or pectoralis muscle, your breast augmentation surgeon inflates your implant with sterile saline or salt water. When they rupture, you will typically know immediately and your body harmlessly absorbs all of the leaking saline. Because of its shape and the consistency of saline, saline breast implants feel can feel like water balloons and do not have the gummy or fatty feels of real breasts.

Deciding between Saline & Silicone Breast Implants

While saline implants remain a popular choice for certain breast augmentation candidates, silicone implants have less chance of visible wrinkling or rippling, which make them a better choice for post-mastectomy breast reconstruction or over-the-muscle implant placement. Saline implants are also available for younger women from 18 years of age and older. With silicone implants, however, you have to be 22 years of age or older to have them implanted.

  • What you should know about saline implants:
  • Saline implants have an outer shell made of silicone, which holds the sterile saline solution inside.
  • Saline implants tend to look more round, especially in thin women with modest breast tissue.
  • Most women who have received saline implants compare their feel to that of a water balloon (According to American Society of Plastic Surgeons)
  • Saline implants can be inserted underneath the breast, around the dark skin surrounding the nipple, or an incision in the underarm since they are inserted un-filled.
  • Saline has a higher risk of downward displacement due to gravity, due to their weight. This is a factor to consider for all women, but especially those who are already seeing some breast drooping.
  • Saline implants also can be filled and adjusted during surgery, which allows the surgeon some discretion to increase or decrease volume for improved breast symmetry.
  • Saline implants are slightly less expensive than saline implants, factoring into your total cost.
  • What you should know about silicone implants:
  • Silicone implants give a more realistic feel and look more like natural breasts.
  • Silicone is significantly lighter than saline, lowering the risk of downward displacement due to gravity.
  • Silicone gel implants are generally placed through incisions underneath the breast or around the dark skin surrounding the nipple.
  • Silicone implants are pre-filled and they require larger incisions compared to saline implants.
  • Silicone implants are slightly more expensive than saline implants, which is a factor in the total cost of your breast augmentation surgery.

The latest version of silicone gel implants also has an outer silicone shell, which holds a cohesive silicone gel fill that acts more like a solid, holding together uniformly and retaining the feel of a natural breast tissue.

To help you with your decision, let our Beverly Hills breast implant surgeon know your goals in getting a breast implant during your free consultation. Schedule an appointment when you call (310) 278-0000!

When Your Breast Implant Rupture & Deflate

When a silicone gel implant ruptures, the gel is designed to hold together inside the capsule and not migrate to surrounding areas of the body. This means you might not notice the rupture right away as the gel is contained inside the breast capsule. The lack of noticeable rupture is one of the reasons that frequent MRIs are proposed for women choosing silicone gel implants so that they can monitor the health of their implants.

While silicone implant rupture, it is usually is silent. A saline implant deflates quickly if it is ruptured or torn. If a saline implant ruptures, the sterile saline solution is absorbed harmlessly by the body, causing a deflation in the breast size.

Selecting the Right Breast Implant for You

Both saline and silicone implants have advantages and disadvantages. When you consider breast enlargement, the best way to decide whether to have saline or silicone gel implants is to determine your preferences.

If you have moderately sized breasts, such as a C-cup and wish to have larger breasts, there won’t be much appreciable difference between silicone and saline implants. If you have minimal breast tissue or an A-cup and wish to go considerably larger or up to a D-cup, silicone implants will certainly feel more natural and have will have a lower chance of rippling.

All of this will have to be balanced with your particular preference and your willingness to accept that rupture of your silicone breast implant, though not toxic, may not be immediately diagnosed. Talk about your breast augmentation needs and preferences with your surgeon, who is in the best place to give you advice about your implant selection.

To learn more about the different types of breast implants, or to schedule a consultation with our Beverly Hills breast augmentation surgeons, call schedule a free initial consultation with our Beverly Hills breast augmentation surgeon at (310) 278-0000 today.

*Results from surgical or non-surgical procedures will vary from patient to patient and are not guaranteed.

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