Breast Implants for Someone with Health Concerns?

I'm considering having Breast augmentation, but I'm not sure if I should go with Saline or Silicone. My plastic surgeon recommends silicone, but after reading so many articles on implants, I'm worried that Silicone may not be safe. At the same time, I also read that Saline impants tend to leak or rupture more often than Silicone. Is this true? My main concern is my health. So which implant is recommended for someone with my concerns, and as much as possible won't give me an unnatural feeling?

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12 Doctor Answers | Asked by qtpa2d2003 in California

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Both are safe

In terms of safety, there is no evidence that silicone implants are unsafe compared to saline. You may or may not know this, but the shell of a saline implant is made of silicone. Both can give a natural result, but in my experience silicone has a more natural feel and shape in most patients. There are some studies that suggest saline implants rupture a bit more than the new generation cohesive gel implants, but these studies are limited and are not long term (10 years or more) yet. ... more

Go with your gut instinct

Here are the facts as I understand them: Both implants are considered "safe" by the FDA Both implants will give you a nice looking augmentattion and will look just about the same. The gel will "feel" slightly more natural especially if you are thin and have little breast tissue. You will be able to palpate some wrinkles and ripples in the outer or lower aspect of the saline especially when you lean forward. In my practice, about 90% of the patients go with the gel... more

Informed choice of breast implants

This is a question that comes up very often, and there is not one right answer for every patient. There are advantages and disadvantages of each type of implant. But it is important that you make your choice for the right reasons. Your body habitus also plays a role, as the more natural breast tissue that you currently have, then the less important "feel" of the implant becomes. The safety of both silicone and saline is well documented. Also, I would not make a decision based on... more

Silicone implants are safe

Silicone implants were removed from the US market between 1992 and 2007 because of testing required by the FDA, after a series of lawsuits in the early 90s ,sparked a"silicone scare" perpetrated by plaintiffs attorneys and consumer groups as well as TV personalities like Connie Chung. Studies done at Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, and UCLA have since proven that there is no link between silicone implants and serious medical problems that were purported. In Europe and Latin... more

All Implants are Safe

It is astounding that there is still misinformation out there about the safety of implants. Straight up-all implants made in the U.S. are 100% safe! There is no difference in disease occurrence between women with and those without breast implants. Both implants are made of a silicone elastomer and filled with either silicone gel or saline. The silicone gels are more cohesive and therefore if they rupture the silicone doesn't go anywhere. Besides your body will create a capsule around... more

Make yourself at ease when getting breast implants

Silicone and saline implants are both FDA-approved (I assume you are over the age of 22, which is a somewhat arbitrary threshold for which the FDA approved the use of silicone for cosmetic purposes). Both will give you good results when used properly by a board-certified plastic surgeon. Be sure to find out whether your surgeon was fully trained in a PLASTIC surgery residency. Membership in ASPS and/or ASAPS are other good indicators of competence. I recommend that patients who have... more

If you are worried about silicone, use saline implants.

Hi! The results with saline implants are just fine. In Manhattan, we do breast augmentation both with silicone implants and with saline implants. Silicone implants are safe. But don't put something in your body that's going to make you worry.

Go for saline, you will have more peace of mind

Rupture rate is not much different between saline and gel. It is the detection of rupture that is different. Ruptured saline implant will lead to complete deflation; ruptured gel implant will stay contained within the capsule. Gel implant will give you a more natural result but I think you should go for saline. Any time there is concern over silicone implant, safety, etc. I advice my patients to use saline. Best of luck!

What health concerns?

Health is a wide topic. What health concerns are you worried about? Silicone gel implants, when they work, feel more natural than saline implants but this depends on the relative size of the implants to your natural breast. You don't always need silicone gel implants to feel natural.Each implant type has its own relative risk and side effects. You should review these carefully with a board-certified plasticu surgeon to see which one fits your individual situation. Neither implant causes... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Age old question

The data is in from our FDA as of 17 Nov 2006 that they feel, after 14 years of clinical investigation, that silicone implants are safe. Having said this, they are not for everybody. Although I use silicone implants in 80+% of my breast patients, there are some who for what ever reason, don't feel comfortable with silicone. I look at my job as a plastic surgeon and patient educator to make sure you know what your options are, the risks/benefits/alternatives available, and then to... more

Both are great products, if you're not sure, do saline

Both products are good and will give you a nice result. I do 50% saline and 50% gel. The gel is softer as we know but it really depends on how much breast tissue you have and the skin elasticity. If you have some breast tissue saline is a very nice and predictable product. My patients love them and yes they can feel like a normal breast if you already have breast tissue to cover the implant. Gel is a little softer and can look a bit more natural if you do not have any of your own breast... more

Saline versus Silicone

Clearly the touch and feel of silicone implants more closely approximates that of natural tissue when compared to saline. Most studies do show a higher rupture rate for saline when compared to silicone breast implants. There is not right or wrong answer here and it is a difficult question which you should review with your plastic surgeon. The FDA requires that each manufacturer provide you with an exhaustive brochure detailing the risks of silicone implants. This is more comprehensive than... more