Breast Implants: Silicone vs Saline Implants

 

What filling should I pick? Silicone or Saline?

There has long been a debate about silicone versus saline breast implants.  Though each has unique contributions to offer to breast augmentation surgery, there are benefits to choosing one over the other.  You may decide which benefits are best suited to your needs and desires once you know what to look for.  In this article, we will acknowledge the pros and cons of silicone vs saline, drawing attention to the factors that make each more preferable than the other in different circumstances.  Specifically, this article will focus on the appearance and feel of each, their safety history, and the cost of silicone versus saline.

Silicone or Saline: Appearance and Feel

For appearance and feel, most women will choose silicone implants over saline.  Silicone implants look and feel more natural.  They are better able to imitate the natural appearance of the breast tissue.  Saline implants have been compared to water balloons and do not have the same texture or consistency as the natural breast.  Saline implants can also create a rippled appearance on the breast that is unnatural and does not show with silicone implants.  Silicone implants use a semi-solid gel rather than pure liquid, which means that they are more smooth and substantial in nature.  However, silicone gel filled implants are pre-filled before insertion into the breast tissue.  This means that the incisions to be made to insert the implants are longer and more visible.  Saline implants can be inserted with a small incision, then filled once the elastomer silicone shell is in place within the breast.  Therefore, scarring is smaller with saline implants.  Choosing silicone versus saline based on the appearance may also be influenced by the size of implant you are receiving.  For a minor implant, the saline solution can be quite sufficient without creating some of the problems that saline can create.  For larger implants, silicone implants may be the better option due to the more natural appearance they are able to mimic. 

Silicone or Saline: Safety

If your main concern is which type of implant is safest, perhaps saline is the better choice for you.  Saline breast implants are filled with a sterile saline solution that is no more than a biological sterile salt water solution.  If the saline implants rupture and the liquid is absorbed by the body, no significant harm or damage is done.  However, if silicone implants rupture, the silicone can cause harm to the body, especially if the individual is allergic to silicone.  Silicone implants have been used since the 1960s, but in the early 1990s they were banned by the Food and Drug Administration due to health problems thought to be associated with the silicone in the breast implants.  However, in recent years silicone implants have been reapproved by the FDA and are now commonly used for women of all ages, shapes, and sizes.  To ensure safety, your plastic surgeon will have you come in for testing regularly after receiving silicone implants to check for ruptures. 

Silicone or Saline: Cost

Another factor to consider in choosing silicone or saline implants is the cost or expense of each implant.  Typically, neither type is covered by any form of health insurance because it is a cosmetic procedure; thus, the expense is all out of pocket for the individual.  Silicone implants are more expensive than saline implants, primarily because they are more expensive for the manufacturer to make and they are also more effective in creating the natural appearance and feel of the breast.  The price difference is generally about $1,000 more for silicone implants than saline implants.

Silicone or Saline: Which to Choose?

Which type of breast implant you choose is not a decision that can be made for you.  You should consider what your expectations and needs are for your breast augmentation surgery and let that be your guide.  Allow the above information to assist you as you make an educated decision on the most appropriate form of breast implant for your situation.  Discuss it with your plastic surgeon before making the final call, and at that point you will be able to be completely satisfied with the decision you have made about the breast implants you will have inserted in the surgery..

 

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