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Is Silicone or Saline to Best to Correct Breast Asymmetry?

asked 5 months ago by Casey24 in Phoenix, AZ
Latest answer by Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Question viewed 244 times
Tags: asymmetry, saline implants, silicone implant, options

I am starting my consultations this week and I'm concerned if I should get silicone or saline implants. My left breast is about a small B and my right is a small A cup. I have been wanting to go with silicone but now I'm wondering if I should get the saline due to the fact the doctor can fill them once the empty implant is in place to create better symmetry... Please let me know what you think and I'm sure the doctors at my consults will tell me as well, I just want to have an idea before hand.

22 answers to Is Silicone or Saline to Best to Correct Breast Asymmetry?

Silicone or Saline Breast Implants can correct Breast Asymetry Technique is most important

Either Silicone or Saline Breast Implants may be used to successfully correct a Breast Asymmetry. You are correct that Saline Breast Implants can be adjusted which is an advantage but most patients today prefer the natural feel of the Silicone Gel Breast Implants. I generally do not use different size Breast Implants on the same patient. Different sized Breast Implants can be visibly different because of variation in the size and shape of the base of the Breast Implant. The key... more

Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

Silicone or saline for breast asymmetry

The saline implants is adjustable, however the silicone comes in just about any size you could need. You can have an excellent result with either. I may come down to your comfort level with the gel, and the coverage available over the implant. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd.com

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

www.peterejohnsonmd.com

Silicone vs. saline for breast asymmetry

Breast asymmetry can be treated with either silicone or saline implants. Although the saline can be more easily adjusted with very slight volume modifications, sizers can be used before and during surgery to determine the implant sizes that give the best result. Sometimes, in cases of severe asymmetry the breasts actually need different operations, like an augmentation on one side and an augmentation with a lift on the other. Again, either implant works fine. more

Bruce Genter, MD
Abington Plastic Surgeon

www.drgenter.com

Saline or Silicone Breast Implants for Asymmetry?

Thank you for the question. In regards to symmetry issues, both saline and silicone breast implants can be used to help improve symmetry. Obviously, saline breast implants can be adjusted to specific volume but I think both types of implants can help improve symmetry (with the use of different sizes and/or models in each breast). Some general information regarding saline versus silicone breast implants may be useful to you: The type of implant used may determine... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

Asymmetry of breasts can be corrected

Asymmetry of the size and shape of your breasts can be corrected by plastic surgery. If there is only a difference in size, but generally they look the same, then just augmentation of just the smaller side could correct the asymmetry. If you want to go larger on both sides, that is possible also. Since it is difficult to determine exactly what sizes you need to correct the asymmetry, it may be better to use saline implants which are easily adjusted in size after they have... more

James Tang, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Either could be a great option

I agree with previous answers. You should be able to get a great result and improvement in symmetry no matter which implant you choose, saline or silicone. Gather all the information about both implants during your consultation, weigh the pro's and con's of each implant and then make your final decision.

Renato Saltz, MD
Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

Breast Implants

Both saline and silicone implants will work to correct asymmetry. You will find that the surgeons you speak with will likely have a bias based on their training and experience. I suggest you read about the different implants and prepare some questions about issues such as leaking, rippling and follow-up.

William H. Gorman, MD
Austin Plastic Surgeon

Saline Implants versus Silicone Implants for Breast Asymmetry

Although saline implants can be filled to specific volume, there are many different sizes of silicone gel implants. Both saline and silicone gel implants can be used to correct breast asymmetry. Depending on your breast envelope one implant maybe better suited to your body and you may need or consider a breast lift if there is ptosis. Hope that help, Ankit Desai, MD, Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon

Ankit Desai, MD
Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon

Silicone or saline

There are too many pros and cons for each implant to go into here. First off you have to be 22 to have silicone implants. Next I would recommend you go to. breastimplantinfo.com for a knowledgeable review of the differences. Then listen to your plastic surgeon at the time of your consultation to make an imformed decision.

Randy Proffitt, MD
Mobile Plastic Surgeon

What Is Better For Breast Asymmetry, Saline Or Silicone?

Both are very good at correcting breast size asymmetry. Saline is easier to use for slight volume differences because it is adjustable. However, in my experience, these small differences are difficult to detect with the naked eye anyways. Discuss the merits of both types with your surgeon and I'm sure they will be able to improve your asymmetry with either saline or silicone. Good luck.

Douglas L. Gervais, MD
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.mpsmn.com

Saline or silicone for asymmetry

ASymmetry is normal and Iusually place different implants volumes if there is a larger discrepancy if I am using silicone implatns.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Silicone breast implants usually best for breast asymmetry correction.

Hi. There are so many silicone implant sizes that we can usually find the right combination to correct asymmetry of size. Asymmetry of shape is best corrected by putting the implants over the muscle, and in this plane silicone implants feel better. see video

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Both saline and silicone can be used to correct asymmetry.

Either silicone or saline breast implants can be used to correct breast asymmetry with equally good results. The important decision is for you to pick the implants you want and leave the correction of the asymmetry up to the plastic surgeon. Any board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in breast surgery should be facile at using either saline or silicone breast implants to correct breast asymmetry. Discuss this in detail with your doctor at your upcoming appointment.... more

J. Jason Wendel, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

www.mc.vanderbilt.edu

Both have advantages

The advantage of saline is as you say - you can preferentially fill the implant to "touch up" volume discrepancies intraoperatively. silicone, on the other hand usually comes in about 25cc increments. the truth is, if you have a large size discrepancy, you will probably need two completely different sized implants and something like a temporary sizer may be needed in surgery to help delineate this. in my opinion, i would go with the one you are most comfortable... more

Eric Chang, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

www.columbiaaesthetic.com

Silicone v saline for asymmetry correction

Either type of implant can be used to correct asymmetry. Please understand that asymmetry has as much to do with the asymmetry of a patient's chest and musculature as with the size of the breasts. Saline implants can be adjusted more intra-operatively. I would not recommend use of an implant with a port which can be expanded postoperatively, particularly in a patient with small breasts as you may feel the port and find this disconcerting. Many patients report that the silicone implants... more

Robert L. Kraft, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Breast Asymmetry

Silicone gel and saline filled implants can both correct asymmetry very well. Since gel filled implants are prefilled you can only correct in about 1 ounce increments, depending on size of implant. This can achieve very good asymmetry correction in most patients. For a more fine tuned correction you may need to use a saline filled implant because you can then adjust the fill volume to what looks like the most correct size to achieve symmetry. Gary Hall,MD more

Gary Hall, MD
Kansas City Plastic Surgeon

www.hallmd.com

Symmetry and type of breast augmentation

Saline vs silicone has nothing to do with ability to achiev symmetry. The best technique in myt opinion for achieving beautiful form and symmetry is fat grafting in which I can sculpt all dimensions of the breast. The second best is using low profile silicone implants in a subfascial plane, what I call the 'cold-subfascial' technique. I hope this helps! All the best, Rian A. Maercks M.D.

Rian Maercks, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Asymmetry and Implant type

Asymmetric breast can be made to look more symmetric, but some asymmetries will likely persist that can not be corrected completely with different size implants. I don't believe that one implant type is better for asymmetric patients despite the fact that saline does allow for some adjustability. Surgeons use different techniques with the different type implants to deal with asymmetries, but the final outcome is not necessarily dependent on the type of fluid in the implant... more

Donald Griffin, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

Choice of implants for breast asymmmetry.

Either type of implant may work for you. If you understand that perfect symmetry is not observed in nature so a perfectly symmetrical result won't be achieved, you will be happy to know much better symmetry will be seen after your surgery. It's true that saline implants come with a fill range so your surgeon can adjust the volume during surgery to match as close as possible. There is also a Becker saline implant which has a filling port attached to it when it is placed... more

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

Breast Asymetry and Implants

It is my opinion that silicone gel implants are more forgiving than saline implants when it comes to breast shape so my preference is to use silicone implants for cases of asymmetry. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Marcel Daniels, MD
Long Beach Plastic Surgeon

Silicone Or Saline For Breast Asymmetry

You are correct that saline implants can be adjusted somewhat to deal with breast asymmetry, but the chance of rippling goes up a good bit if they are underfilled. Another (and probably better) way is to use sizers to determine the sizes of silicone implants to correct asymmetry and augment the breasts. Bear in mind that some aymmetry is common in women who have never had surgery.

John Whitt, MD
Louisville Plastic Surgeon

Breast Augmentation - Is Silicone or Saline to Best to Correct Breast Asymmetry?

I don't believe that asymmetry enters into the silicone versus saline issue. While it's true that one can put different amounts of saline into the same sized implant I do not generally do that. Instead, I would fill different sized implants to the same percentage; you otherwise risk one feeling firmer than the other. And in the case of silicone, I would simply use two different sized implants. It is, of course, not possible to achieve exact symmetry and it is... more