What do breast implants feel like?

The feel of a breast implant varies from person to person.   Many factors come into play.  Some factors include the amount of breast tissue a person already has to cover the implants, whether or not the implants will be on top of the muscle, entirely under the muscle, or partially under the muscle; whether they are saline implants or silicone implants; the quality and thickness of the skin, etc...

In general, silicone implants will feel more "natural" than saline implants.   Silicone implants can feel like a thick marshmallow, whereas saline implants can feel like a bag of water.  Some patients will do very well with either type of implant if they have thick skin and a fair amount of breast tissue in either the subglandular or submuscular position.  In general, woman who are quite thin, have little breast tissue with loose skin, and have nursed children will do better with a silicone implant, preferably a high profile silicone implant to achieve a more natural feel.

Implants can feel hard for several reasons.  Some include a saline implant that is way too over-filled.  Another reason can be a capsular contracture.

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. 

If you are talking about implants sitting on the table, the saline imlpants feel like a water balloon and the silicone implants feel like cooked oatment. However how they feel in a breast depends on a number of things.

If the implants are working the way they should, the saline implant will generally start out feeling a bit more firm than a silicone implant which may be virtually undectable by feel. Over a period of time, more of the silicone implants will more often become more firm than saline implants (i.e. the contracture rate for significant hardening is higher for silicone gel implants).

However, if the implants do not develop capsular contracture, it is the relative proportion of implant to natural breast and the relative dimensions in the post-op breast that will determine what the implant feels like. For example, if I put a small  (by volume and width) saline implant into a relative full breast, the implant will be general "hidden" by the natural breast and the breast will feel relatively natural. If, on the other hand, I put a relatively large implant into a small breast, the breast will beginto take on the charactertistics of the implant. So, it is not the implant itself that is as important as the way it is being  used.

Breast implants can feel very much like real breast tissue. This is especially true of the new silicone gel implants.

The saline implants also feel reasonably "real" but feel better in patients with more breast tissue and who are not too thin. The saline implants feel better if they are not too overfilled, at which point they begin to feel hard. This is often the case when saline has been placed above the muscle and overfilled to minimize the wrinkles and ripples that might be felt.

The other process that can make implants feel unnatural and hard is a capsular contracture, which is a harder than normal scar formed around the implant.

Breast implants generally feel quite natural and real.  Some patients like the feel of silicone over saline but that varies considerably from patient to patient. Hardness of the breast implants is usually of capsular contracture.  With any sign of hardness, you should return to surgeon for evaluation.