Why Do Doctors Suggest Silicone Implants More Than Saline?

Is there a reason why every plastic surgeon I visit would suggest to me to get Silicone breast implants? Is it safer than Saline? And also how soon do people with these implants need to have them replaced?

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6 Doctor Answers | Asked by me shell in md

Doctor Answers (6)
Community Comments (1)

Saline vs silicone

Silicone is certainly not safer than saline. Also silicone carries with it the burden of needing to obtain MRI examinations to look for silent rupture. However silicone gel implants now all have more cohesive properties and are safer than old silicone gel implants. Silicone looks and feels more natural. Patients who have had both saline and silicone overwhelmingly prefer the look and feel of silicone. That being said, we achieve excellent results with saline implants in the right patient... more

Silicone Implants vs. Saline implants

The return of silicone gel breast implants raises an important question for prospective breast augmentation patients: are silicone gel implants better than saline implants? The answer, in my opinion, will be different for each patient, and will depend on the patient's personal feelings and opinions about a host of issues related to silicone gel implants, including implant cost, the monitoring required to detect silicone gel implant rupture, the incisions required, and the potential... more

Michael Law, MD

17 reviews

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

michaellawmd.com

Both are considered safe

Both implants are approved by the FDA and are considered safe. Silicone has a more natural feel and saline doesn't. This having been said, if a woman has enough breast tissue to cover the implant, they can have a very good result. Dr Edwards

Purely Aethetic

Silicone gel implants look and feel more natural than saline implants, pure and simple. Most plastic surgeons are interested in having natural results and silicone gel implants do that better than saline implants. The implants otherwise are basically the same in terms of rupture and capsular contracture. The saline implants may have a higher chance of visible or palpable rippling. As long as the patient is well informed as to the other differences(undetected rupture, bigger operation for... more

Silicone breast implants are often recommended in thin patients

In my practice, silicone implants can apply to anyone, however they may offer a better outcome in the very thin patient with minimal preexisting breast tissue. In this case, the gel implant may cause less rippling, and feel more natural. You may be fitting into this category and thus benefit from the gel implant. Both implants are safe and neither shows an advantage in that regard. The implant lifespan is often quoted as 10-15 years, however, they may last considerably longer. In rare... more

Silicone implants are simply better!

Silicone has a much more natural feel to it than does saline. It feels more like a natural breast than saline. It has less chances of visual rippling (especially on the sides) than saline. The only times that I would not recommend a silicone implant is in a woman who does not want the slightly larger scar that is required (usually underneath the breast). With all of the modern implants (silicone or saline), I do not recommend replacement unless there is a problem.

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Comments (1)

Alison62 19 Oct 2012

I can tell you my saline implants " feel " like real breasts! I was wanting silicone bc it cost more I thought it was " better" I'm so glad my Dr ( hedden in B'ham) was more interested in me than$ ! but I did lose wt ( fom a size 4-6 to a 00- 98 lbs! ) and it is true the ripples looked freakish! ( but I looked freakish too with 500 ml breasts on a tiny frame! i panicked went bak to Dr sure they were rupturing and they patiently explained that I had no body fat! and had I come in at 98 lbs, no one would have recommended that size ( probably wouldn't have operated period!)as I for thru my anorexia they filled back out and 8/12 years later, I'm so glad I have saline! LISTEN to your dr, if you are very tiny, maybe those are better but as to the feel of more natural, after a year of " settling" mine are so natural people think they are " real"

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