Do Silicone Breast Implants Feel Heavier Than Saline Breast Implants?

asked 2 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 3,483 times
Tags: breasts, female, silicone implant, comparison, natural

I'm trying to decide between saline implants and silicone implants, but I've heard that even though silicone are supposed to look more natural, they feel way heavier than saline. Is that true?

9 answers to Do Silicone Breast Implants Feel Heavier Than Saline Breast Implants?

Saline or silicone breast implants?

Thank you for your question. The weights of the implants are almost identical. Saline implants have some advantages over silicone implants. Silicone implant ruptures are harder to detect. When saline implants rupture, they deflate and the results are seen almost immediately. When silicone implants rupture, the breast often looks and feels the same because the silicone gel may leak into surrounding areas of the breast without a visible difference. Patients may need an MRI to... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

VIDEO (Click HERE) Do Silicone Breast Implants Feel Heavier Than Saline Breast Implants?

I have weighed these on a scale and they are virtually identical in weight with the silicone slightly less than the saline. see video

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Weight comparison of saline vs silicone implants

I have been asked the difference in weight between saline vs silicone implants in the past and thus took the time to weigh them myself. Implants of the same volume, whether they are saline or silicone were indistinguishable on our scale.

Darrick E. Antell, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Differences between silicone and saline breast implants.

Hi! 1) Silicone breast implants do not feel heavier. 2) Silicone implants in general feel more natural. 3) I have a lot of patients with saline implants who are very happy. So both are fine. 4) Saline implants can be put into the breasts through a shorter scar. 5} It is much easier to tell if a saline implant is leaking. 6) You may find the breast augmentation page on my web site useful.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Gel versus saline implants

Gel implants weight the exact same amount as the saline implant of the same size. Gel implants are usually softer and feel more natural. Saline ruptures are easier to detect if there is problem.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Weight of the implants is not an issue between gel and saline

There is no need to take into account implant weight when deciding between silicone gel and saline implants. Base your decision on other factors. Of course, the bigger the implants, the heavier they are but this is true of both gel and saline.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Silicone breast implants not heavier than saline breast implants

Absolutely NOT. Silicone's specific gravity is 0.97 compared to water 's (IE saline)which is 1.0. This means that 100 cc of saline weight 100 grams while the SAME volume of silicone gel weighs 97 grams. As the implants get heavier, silicone implants are somewhat LIGHTER than same volume saline implants. In addition, silicone gel implants ripple LESS than saline implants as well. I hope this was helpful.

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

The silicone gel and saline implants are about the same weight,

Both the saline and silicone gel implants are about the same weight which is about the same weight as normal breast tissue. The gel seems to be a little lighter since they float in saline.

Carl W. "Rick" Lentz III, MD
Daytona Beach Plastic Surgeon

Silicone and saline implants weigh about the same

Silicone and saline implants weigh about the same. Silicone may be slightly heavier but not enough that you would recognize a difference. I would choose your implant based on which will give you the best aesthetic result.