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Breast Implant Options: Saline or Silicone?

Houston, Texas

As breast enhancement surgery grows in popularity in Texas and across the country, more and more women consider the procedure. Being knowledgeable about the kinds of breast implant options can help you make an informed decision about the breast enhancement procedure leading to more attractive results. Deciding what kind of breast implant to use is one of the most important decisions in the breast augmentation process. To simplify the process, it’s helpful to think of two separate factors for breast implants: the material that fills the implant, and the size and shape of the breast implant itself.

Saline versus Silicone

Saline and silicone gel breast implants are the two types of breast implants approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2006, the FDA lifted almost all restrictions on silicone gel, making it available to women over the age of 22.

Each material has its pros and cons. Saline’s advantages include the fact that a rupture would only result in the saline being reabsorbed back into the body. Saline breast implants can be inserted deflated and filled once inside the breast cavity, leading to optimal volume, and the insertion process often leaves a smaller scar than silicone implants. Plus, studies show a lower rate of capsular contracture, which is a process where the tissue around the breast implant contracts, affecting the shape and feel of the breast implant.

Silicone gel has its own advantages, one of which is silicone’s better ability to self-support, resulting in less sag to the breast over time. The softer texture of silicone lends it what some people say is a more natural, softer feel to the breasts, while also causing less visible ripples in the breast skin.

Likewise, each breast implant material has particular disadvantages. Saline breast implants have a tendency to take on a more rounded, less natural shape than silicone, while revealing more ripples in the breast skin, particularly in women with thinner frames.

Silicone’s major disadvantages are the risk of “silent rupture” which is normally only be detectable by an MRI. Removing and repairing the ruptured breast could require extra surgery. The insertion process is also likely to leave a larger scar than a saline breast implant, and the risk of capsular contracture is slightly higher.

Size, Shape, and Texture

Breast implants come in a variety of sizes to fit each woman’s needs, and they also come in different shapes and textures. The most popular shape is round--available in different profiles to determine the projection of the breasts after augmentation, while some breast implants are smooth while others come textured. Once again, the advantages and disadvantages (more natural shape, textured surface possibly leading to rippling, chance of breast implant shifting) will all be taken into account by you and Dr. Lapuerta, leading to the best decision for your unique situation.

If you or a loved one has questions about breast augmentation, please contact the breast implant experts at The Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas to find out more about your options and to schedule a free consultation.

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