Do Silicone Really Feel More Natural for a Person Who is Touching Them?

The feel of the final augmented breast is not only determined by the silicone implant. It is really the balance between the breast tissue and the size of the implant. If you are happy with the feel of your salines now and are staying the same size, than stay with saline. However, silicones generally feel better.

I know this is a crude example but it helps to make the point. If you hide a golf ball (implant) under a silk sheet (tissue), the appearance will be very ball-like. However, if you hide the baseball under a thick comforter, the thickness of the comforter will greatly influence the result. A very thick comforter may make the ball barely visible. The comforter will determine the overall appearance of the result. If you change the golf ball to a volley ball, it may appear more round.

In individuals with very little tissue ( thin athletic women with low body fat and an A cup breast), the breast implants may be more noticeable and will ultimately have a significant role in determining the appearance of the outcome.

In individuals with C or D cup breasts, the overall breast tissue and position of the gland will have a greater effect on the overall appearance of the final result.

Yes.  This is why most plastic surgeons will recommend silicone, since it feels more natural and has a lower risk of rippling and wrinkling. 

Saline implants can be placed under the muscle to have more tissue cover the breast implant, but this will still not feel as natural as a silicone breast implant.

You and your husband should be able to feel a saline and silicone breast implant in your doctor's office-  samples are available to plastic surgeons from the breast implant manufacturers.

Silicone breast implants tend to feel softer than saline implants. This is the main reason my patients who desire to use silicone implants select them. Most my patients who have had both types on implants prefer the feel of the silicone gel implants. The down side, it is more difficult to tell when silicone breast implants leak. The FDA recommends an MRI 3 years after surgery and then every 2 years after that to check for silent ruptures. Most my patients who select saline implant trade the feel of silicone implants for the peace of mind of easily detecting a leak.

If you have had saline implants, and are happy with how they have felt, you will probably be happy with saline again. Individual results vary, and I have many patients with saline breast implants that have results similar to silicone gel. The larger the pre-augmented breast, and the smaller the implant, the less difference the type of filler makes. The advantage of saline implants is that if they leak, the saline is quickly absorbed without any adverse events (without bad things happening) other than the loss of volume. As you know, the implant usually loses volume quickly, and an MRI is not needed to tell that there is leak.

I generally see three sets of women, I want a gel, I want a saline and what is the best implant for me.  If your breasts is going to be more implant than you then a gel will always be better.  Other than that is is all up to personal choice.  In my practice it is about 85% GEL and 15% saline.  There is nothing wrong with a saline filled implant as long as there is enough soft tissue to cover the water baggy nature of the implant. Under thin breast tissue and skin a gel will always be better and appear more natural.

The feel of the implant depends upon the type of implant used and the amount of soft tissue coverage over the implant. But in general, silicone tends to feel softer than saline.