What do silicone implants feel like once they are in place and healed?

Thank you for your question. This is a common thing that many patients worry about because they often want to have a natural look and feel to the breast. Let me start out by saying that no implant truly feels like a normal breast. A normal breast is composed of adipose tissue, glandular breast tissue, and other connective tissue. The ability to replicate this with a silicone shell implant filled with either saline or cohesive silicone gel can only go so far. While many patients with implants have a very natural look, I doubt many of them would say that they have a completely natural feel. Most patients when looking for natural feeling implants prefer silicone to saline. The saline implants, especially when overfilled (to prevent rippling) can feel rather tight and stiff. The silicone implants tend to have a much softer and more natural feel. There are different versions of the silicone implants in terms of fill volume (regular vs overfilled) and there are also shaped silicone devices which tend to have a stiffer feel to most patients. In the end, you need to talk to other patients who have had implants and get their opinion on how things feel. Everyone can have a different perception and it would benefit you to talk to multiple people. After surgery, the implant will be below your normal breast tissue and likely the muscle, so the palpability of the implant depends on the amount of breast tissue you have and your specific anatomy. When you have a consultation, your surgeon should be able to discuss with you expectations for surgical results and you should get the opportunity to look and feel all the different types of implants and see what you think will give you the results you are looking for.Hope this helps!

Good question. Much of the final look and feel achieved after breast augmentation surgery depends on several factors:

1. The initial shape, size (volume of breast tissue), symmetry of the patient's breasts. In general, the better the preoperative breast appearance the more likely the breast augmentation “look” will be optimal.

2. The experience/skill level of the surgeon is important in determining the final outcome. For example, the accurate and gentle dissection of the breast implant pockets are critical in producing long-term well-placed breast implants. I personally think that these 2 factors are more important than any others, including type (saline or silicone) or model (low/moderate/high profile) of implant.

3. The type of implant used may determine the final outcome, especially if the patient does not have significant covering breast or adipose tissue. For example, some surgeons feel that silicone implants have a more natural look and feel than saline implants because silicone gel has a texture that is similar to breast tissue. In other words, if a patient has very low body fat and/or very little breast tissue, the silicone gel implants may provide a more "natural" result.

4. The size and model of breast implant used may make a significant difference in the final outcome. Therefore, it is very important to communicate your size goals with your surgeon. In my practice, the use of photographs of “goal” pictures (and breasts that are too big or too small) is very helpful. I have found that the use of words such as “natural” or “C or D cup” etc
Also, as you know, cup size varies depending on who makes the bra; therefore, discussing desired cup size may also be inaccurate.  I hope this, and the attached link (dedicated to breast augmentation concerns), helps. Best wishes.