Cosmetic Surgery Charleston Dr. Widenhouse Blog

Have you been thinking about having a breast augmentation surgery? That is a big decision and should not be rushed. It involves making a lot of smaller decisions and one of those is whether you want your implants filled with silicone gel or saline solution.

Silicone Implants
Silicone gel resembles fatty tissue. It holds its shape and although you can push and press it into a different shape, it resumes its designed shape immediately. Most people consider silicone gel implants as more natural in their look and feel, more like breast tissue than saline implants.

Silicone breast implants come pre-filled and cannot be adjusted in size once they are placed. They offer further choices in surface type (textured or smooth), shape (round or teardrop-shaped), shell thickness, and other variables.

Between 1992 and 2006, silicone gel implants were restricted by the FDA to breast reconstruction only. That was in response to a media panic about these implants causing connective tissue diseases and various women claimed that their silicone gel implants had leaked and caused Lupus, cancer, or some neurological problem. However, during 14 years of intensive research, no basis was found for such claims.

Silicone is in our bodies anyway, from household products such as dish detergent, laundry detergent, hairspray and hand lotion. It is made from silicon (with no “e”), which is Earth’s second most common element after oxygen and is present in sand, rocks, and crystals. When the FDA re-approved silicone implants in 2006, they were, by that time, improved over previous implants, in that the shells were stronger and the gel more cohesive. In the very unlikely event that an implant shell were to break, the gel would not leak out, and even if it did, you would be safe.

Saline Breast Implants
Saline solution is salt water with the same salinity as other body fluids. It is usually placed in your implants at the time of surgery and if you decide your implants are not quite the right consistency, Dr. Widenhouse can add more saline solution or take some out. There are also pre-filled saline implants.

If a saline breast implant were to fracture, the saline solution would leak out into the body and be absorbed harmlessly. You would also notice immediately that there was a leak, because that breast would shrink down.

There are other considerations also, in the choice between silicone gel or saline breast implants. The best way to make a happy decision is to be well-informed about the relevant issues. Please see Breast Enlargement Options for more details.

If you would like to schedule a confidential consultation with Dr. Widenhouse, please contact our Charleston, South Carolina office today.