Silicone Breast Implants
A woman seeking breast implants has the opportunity to choose from either saline or silicone based implants. Depending on the desired look and size of the breasts, patients may choose either one. Saline breast implants consist of a rubber like shell made of silicone, and are filled with saline, more commonly known as salt water. Silicone breast implants also consist of a silicone casing and are filled with silicone gel. Silicone implants have recently been improved to feel and look more like natural breasts, and also to prevent damage in the case of leaks or ruptures in the casing.
Saline implants were approved by the FDA in 2006, and although surgeons and patients usually prefer to use silicone implants, there are many advantages to using a saline implant. Saline implants are not inserted into the breast when they are full; they are inserted empty, and filled once they are in the desired position. This reduces the size of the incision needed to insert the implants, and thus reduces the amount of scarring left after the procedure.
Silicone breast implants are the more popular choice with women and surgeons today. The texture of silicone is more consistent with breast tissue, and these implants are usually more durable than saline implants. Although these implants are popular, it is usually required that women receive MRIs every few years after the insertion of the implants, as leaks may cause silicone to spread to lymph nodes, breast tissue, and other organs in the body, possibly causing problems such as cancer. The more modern silicone implant, however, has been engineered to reduce the chances of silicone leaking into the body. Although both materials for the implants can create rather natural looking and feeling breasts, saline implants are not as durable as silicone implants. If saline implants are punctured or ruptured, the filling will leak, causing the implant to deflate and a noticeable change to be present. Although silicone implants are more durable and have a consistency more similar to breast tissue, saline implants enable leaks to be detected more easily. Although saline leaks are more common, they also less hazardous to the body. Due to the fact that saline is simply salt water, there is a low chance of infection or damage to breast tissue. Silicone leaks, however, may cause scarring or hardening of the tissue in the breast, which may lead to discomfort after a while.
