Silicone cc's vs Saline cc's.. are they equal?

I am sorry to hear about your concerns after revisionary breast surgery. Yes, although the volumes of saline breast implants will equate to the volume of silicone gel breast implants, the aesthetic outcome ( what the breasts look like) may be very different. Your case may demonstrate why very careful preoperative communication is one of the keys to success when it comes to elective breast surgery. Discussing goals in terms of cup size  increase, for example “2 cups bigger”, can be a source of miscommunication and disappointment.  In my practice, I ask patients to use as many “visual aids” as possible during the preoperative communication process. I also ask patients not to communicate their goals and/or evaluate the outcome of the procedure performed based on cup sizes. At this point, best to communicate your concerns/questions with your plastic surgeon who will always be your best resource. Best wishes for a happy new year.

Thank you for your question.  The cc size of silicone vs saline implants is not exactly the same but close.  The cc's in a saline implant refer to the amount of cc's of saline added to the implant but do not account for the volume of the implant shell.  The cc's of a gel implant refer to the total volume of the implant including the shell.  The shell even if the total volumes of the two were exactly the same there would still be a difference in appearance due to the different properties of gel and saline.  Having said that I would question why you thought that going from 270 to 450, a 180 cc difference would give you a 2 cup size increase in size.  If your surgeon told that it would then you were mislead as a 180 cc increase in most patients would at most be about one cup size.