Saline Breast Implants for a 19 Year Old?

asked 2 years ago by Mel570 in Los Angeles, CA
Latest answer by Beverly Friedlander, MD
Question viewed 1,729 times
Tags: age 18-24, saline implants, silicone implant, A cup, rippling, thin

I'm 19 and want to get Breast Implants. I am a size 32 A and I am very thin and petite with not a lot of breast tissue.

I have heard that for thin women it’s better to get silicone implants because of the rippling issue. I really do not want to wait until I am 22 to get silicone.

Is it possible to still get saline with good results with minimal rippling that is not too noticeable? Thanks!

10 answers to Saline Breast Implants for a 19 Year Old?

Breast Implants in a 19 year old

Both saline and silicone implants can create a natural good looking result. Implants that are selected that match a patients chest diameter, that is that are not too big, and placed behind the muscle are less likely to ripple even in a thin patient.

Beverly Friedlander, MD
Short Hills Plastic Surgeon

Rippling and implants

All types of implants can ripple. The biggest factor is the native breast tissue volune and skin thickness compared to the implant volume. If you do not have good quality skin and some breast tissue, you are more prone to have it. That is why I like to put most implants under the muscle to cover the upper pole better.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Ripples, rippling or folds, creases, lumps, bumps, knuckles in Saline breast implant augmentation surgery

Some of the reasons for visible rippling, which tend to be higher with saline implants include: 1. thin skin and minimal breast tissue with visibility of normal folds 2. moderate profile saline implants are more likely to ripple than high profile saline 3. saline are more likely to ripple than silicone implants 4. over the muscle placement are more likely ot have visible rippling than under the muscle 5. weight loss may make rippling more noticeable 6. involutional breast... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Rippling with saline breast implants can be minimized.

Hi! 1) In New York, we have hundreds of breast augmentation patients with saline implants and no rippling (and a few with rippling, of course). 2) The trick is to OVERFILL the implants beyond the manufacturer's recommendations. 3) High profile saline implants are much less prone to rippling. 4) Also, avoid textured implants, and put the implants under the muscle. see video

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Saline implants and rippling

You are correct, rippling is more of a concern with saline implants; especially in a thin patient with minimal breast tissue. Since you are 19 yrs old and not yet eligible for silicone, your options are to wait 3 yrs for silicone or go with saline for now. You can have a natural result if the implant size is not too large and the implant is placed in a subpectoral (under the muscle) location. Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon prior to your breast augmentation procedure... more

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Implant Rippling

There are some general concepts when it comes to breast implant rippling. 1. The greater the size difference between the implant and the breast tissue the more likely to see and feel the implant rippling. 2. Textured implants will have more rippling 3. Incompletely filled implants will have more rippling 4. Saline implants will ripple more than gel 5. Over the muscle will show more rippling than under the muscle6. Noone can reliable assure you that you will not have visible rippling.... more

John P. Stratis, MD
Harrisburg Plastic Surgeon

Rippling and saline implants

All saline implants ripple when placed in the body. The key to reducing ripples is to hide the implant as much as possible. This means choosing an implant whose size fits your natural breast dimensions. The biggest problems is that women with small breasts naturally get augmentation to increase their size but as their size increases and the implant chosen increases to acheive that result, so does the chance of uncovering the rippling. If you go up one cup size, you will have the smallest... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Breast implants

I would suggest that you see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Make sure he or she examines, measures and evaluates your anatomy accurately. Breast implants are either silicone or saline and are used for BOTH cosmetic enhancement as well as Reconstruction. Patients under the age of 22, as you have read from other posts, are not able to receive silicone implants due to an FDA regulation. However, if a patient presents with a reconstructive indication (chest asymmetry for example), then the... more

John Philip Connors III, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Minimizing rippling with saline implants

Unfortunately our frinends at the FDA have decided that 22 is old enough to have silicone implants, so saline is your only option. However, those of us who have been doing this for a while got a lot of experience with saline implants while silicone was under study before being approved. One very important thing is to match the base diameter of the implant to the diameter of your breast; too large of a diamter and rippling will be worse. The other important variable here is fill volume;... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Saline implants can still work in your case

If you are very petite and have very little breast tissue, one could consider using only a modest size implant to try to minimize rippling and maximize muscle coverage. One thing we have done min my Santa Rosa breast augmentation practice is to use high profile implants, which tend to ripple less than the moderate profile. That works well if your chest diameter is narrow, as it seems to be your case. The majority of women who have saline implants are very happy, so if you do not want to... more