Most surgeons agree that silicone gel breast implants, in general, tend to feel more natural than saline breast implants. However, the degree to which this difference is significant varies a great deal with regard to two issues: the amount of breast tissue that exists prior to augmentation, and the size of the implant that is used. The more natural feel of a silicone gel implant will be much more important to patients who are slender and fit in an A cup bra preoperatively, as they have less subcutaneous soft tissue to conceal the implant. The difference will be less noticeable to a patient who is more full-figured and has wears a B cup bra.
Smaller saline implants (less than 300cc), in my opinion, better simulate natural breast tissue than larger implants. If the goal of breast augmentation surgery is to produce a natural-appearing breast profile, and by 'natural-appearing' I mean that it matches the rest of a woman's figure and does not look like surgery, I think that most patients are best served by an implant smaller than 300cc in volume. Saline implants in this size range, in my experience, tend to produce results that not only look natural but also feel natural.
