Beautiful results can be achieved with both saline and silicone implants

One can achieve a beautiful appearance with both saline and silicone implants depending on how it is positioned. Generally speaking, I prefer a dual plane, partial submuscular approach to give a more natural, tear drop appearance. The biggest difference between saline and silicone implants is not the appearance but rather the feel of your breasts. Silicone implants will feel more natural in most patients especially in those patients who have breast fed and their breasts have involuted or 'deflated'.  Silicone and saline implants are both very safe.

To echo the comments by the other plastic surgeons, whether or not an implant looks natural I think largely depends on the size as it relates to your body type - ie, selecting an implant that is too big for your breast skin envelope and body type will look un-natural whether it's saline or silicone. Having said that, the silicone implant will always feel more natural and will have less visible and palpable rippling. The issue of going under the muscle is important for many reasons, the primary one being to decrease your risk of encapsulation - not necessarily feeling more natural. What many people don't realize is that the pec muscle only covers the upper two-thirds of the implant, so there is a good chance you would feel part of the implant shell on the underside of your breast (this will depend on how much native breast tissue you have). Having said all this, both implant types are very safe and have been well studied in clinical trials. Since the FDA re-approved the silicone implants in 2006, I have primarily been performing silicone implants in my patients and furthermore, many of my former patients will saline are opting to exchange to silicone. In the end, go with what you are more comfortable with.

Hello,

The result of breast implant surgery has something to do with the patient and her desires regarding size and something to do with the surgeon and his/her technique. If you have relatively little breast/chest muscle tissue and want really large breasts, you are not going to look (or feel) so natural. How natural things look has alot to do with how much of your tissue covers those implants. Think "under the muscle" implants to get that tissue working for you. 

If you are more interested in a natural appearance than a particular size, then by all means tell your surgeon. Many surgeons are so used to hearing complaints that the implants are not big enough, that they put large implants in almost by reflex.

The key is to have a good dialogue with your surgeon and to choose a good one. In this case most patients are quite happy.

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