Silicone breast implants

There are two ways of breast enlargement, enlargement with silicone breast implants and enlargement with saline breast implants.

Silicone implants are implants made of silicone and they feel like a semisolid gel. They are softer and smoother than saline breast implants. Many women opt for silicone breast implants since they can give the breast more natural looks and they also carry less risk of the skin rippling.

General Information about Breast Implants

Both breast implants (silicone implants and saline implants) have an outer shell made of silicone-rubber material. However they differ since silicone is a material that fills the inside of the silicone breast implants while saline breast implants are filled with saline solution.

Silicone breast implants are available in different sizes, shapes and profiles. Today's silicone implants are gummy-like structure. Namely, if the prosthesis is cut in half there is no leakage of the silicone, it stays in its original place hence there is no chance of bad reactions of the body to silicone in case of accidental or spontaneous prosthesis rupture. Advantages and Disadvantages of Silicone Breast Implants

Silicone breast implants have both, advantages and disadvantages.

The most significant advantage of silicone breath implants is difference of their implantation site. Namely, the location of silicone breast implants include subglandular position (when the implants is over the chest muscles), partial submuscular position (2/3 of the implants is covered with the chest muscles) or complete submuscular position (when the implants are inserted deep under the chest muscles). Furthermore, unlike saline breast implants that commonly cause rippling of the skin, silicone breast implants do not cause such wrinkling effects.

On the other hand, the major disadvantage of silicone breast implants is the problem with their rupture. The rupture of saline breast implants causes deflation of the breast while rupture of silicone breast implants rupture can be asymptomatic. Such ruptures are so called 'silent ruptures' and they can be only visualized with magnetic resonance. This is why all patients who have silicone breast implants require routine magnetic resonance examination three years after the operation and every two years after the first examination. In case a rupture is confirmed a woman undergoes implant replacement.

Additional Information about Silicone Breast Implants

The price of silicone breast implants is on average $1,000 or more comparing to breast augmentation with saline breast implants. In order to chose the most optimal option a person is due to consult a well-experienced and board-certified plastic surgeon who will recommend the most convenient surgical option in a particular case. Both benefits and risk of silicone breast implants must be taken into consideration prior the surgery.