Breast Implants - Silicone or Saline? San Diego Doctors Weigh In

Because the skill of the surgeon performing breast implant surgery can have a large impact on the aesthetic result, selecting the right physician to perform the procedure is exceptionally important. Results depend on years of experience and the best cosmetic surgery training available. Dr. John Smoot, and Dr. Wendell Smoot, plastic surgeons in the La Jolla and San Diego, California area, fulfill these requirements and can offer you the peace of mind that only years of successful practice can bring. Every one of our surgeons has at least 20 years of experience practicing plastic surgery, while Dr. Wendell Smoot has 30 years of experience.

In our practice, Drs. Smoot, and Smoot use Mentor breast implants, and we offer both saline and cohesive gel silicone implants to enhance the size and shape of the breast. Generally, breast implants are placed under the muscle to produce natural-looking breasts.

Saline Implants

Two types of saline implants are available. The first is called a fixed volume implant; this breast implant is full of the complete saline content at implantation. The second type is an adjustable volume implant; this type of breast implant can be filled during the operation, and its volume can even be manipulated post operatively.

The adjustable saline implant is far more popular. One of the main advantages of saline breast implants is that they are initially deflated which allows them to be inserted with a smaller incision, even endoscopically via an axillary incision in the underarm. In addition, the ability to adjust implants postoperatively is appealing to many patients, and can be especially helpful if there is a significant amount of asymmetry to be corrected with breast implant surgery.

Silicone Breast Implants

Silicone implants are comprised of a silicone rubber shell filled with a cohesive silicone gel. They come pre-filled from the manufacturer with the ideal amount of gel to reduce the incidence of rippling or other cosmetically undesirable results from under filled breast implants.

In the early 1990's, it was believed that connective tissue diseases were brought about by silicone breast implants in some patients. After thoroughly examining the evidence for the association of silicone breast implants with human health conditions, it was determined that no definitive evidence links silicone breast implants to cancer, neurological diseases, neurological problems or other systemic diseases.

Advantages of Each Breast Implant Type

Choosing between silicone and saline implants is a personal decision. Around the world, where silicone implants were never suspended from use, over 90 % of women select silicone breast implants because they are more natural looking and feeling than saline implants. Silicone gel's texture and weight more closely matches those of human breast tissue.

The main disadvantage of silicone breast implants is that if a silicone implant ruptures, these ruptures are hard to locate. Because the silicone remains in the breast implant capsule, the implant appears to be intact when it is not. As a result, the FDA mandates regular MRIs for women with silicone breast implants. In addition, because silicone implants come prefilled from the manufacturer, they cannot be used in breast augmentation via an axillary (underarm) incision.

On the other hand, saline breast implants have the advantage of being inflatable following insertion, which allows for insertion using smaller incisions, even the axillary incision. And if saline implants rupture, the results are obvious because the implant deflates as the saline is safely absorbed by the body. There are two disadvantages to saline breast implants. First, most people judge them as being less natural-looking than silicone. Second, saline is heavier than silicone, meaning that women who get larger implants may experience more discomfort during the adjustment period.