Breast implants in society today are very common. It used to be a procedure limited to the very wealthy but now is within reach of pretty much anyone who wants it. Over the years there has been a great deal of change in the availability and quality of implant materials. There are more, but the main manufacturers of implants today are Mentor and Allergan. Both are great companies and both make good, solid, reliable implants. Silicone implants I will cover in a later blog and will spend all of my time today talking about saline implants.
Saline implants basically are a silicone shell that is filled at the time of surgery with saline. Saline is sterile water with sodium chloride added. It is very prevalent in our bodies and very safe. The implants are filled to the pre set volume that is chosen at the time of consultation.
Saline implants can be placed through the nipple, under the arm, below the breast (inframammary) or through the belly button (TUBA). There are no age restrictions on saline implants and if they leak, they just go flat and your body absorbs the saline.
The down side to saline is that they may Ripple or wrinkle more and they tend to look more round. Some think they feel hard. I have seen GREAT looking saline implants and I don't push people away from them if cost is an issue or if they have any silicone fear. Silicone implants are more costly than saline. Incisions need to be slightly larger for silicone as they are pre filled and the saline implants come empty.
The following video is a great way to see saline implants and to compare the old silicone with the new "gel"implants.
More next week!
Jeff Swetnam, MD