• Video
  • Silicone or Saline Breast Implants Enhancement
{{ showTranscript ? 'HIDE' : 'SHOW' }} TRANSCRIPT
Paul: Do you know that there were close to 300,000 breast augmentations performed in 2010 which increased by 39 percent from the year 2000?

Hello, my name is Doctor Paul Vanek and I'm a double board certified plastic surgeon. Thank you for joining me at Think Health.

Society puts a big emphasis on appearance, and a woman's appearance naturally includes the breasts. Since 1992, there has been an intense study to determine if there are any health effects from implanting silicone material in humans. The study model includes pacemakers, which are surrounded by silastic silicone, mediports, which are imported in the most immune-compromised individuals, IV catheters, used ubiquitously in medical care, and joint replacements. In short, millions of such devices, which include silicone breast implants, are surgically placed and have been conclusively shown to have no long lasting effects.

I participated, personally, in a national FDA guided study in which patients were enrolled in long term surveillance and questionnaire follow-up. This 11-year prospective study show that there are no differences in any diseases for women with saline or gel-filled implants compared to women who did not have breast surgery. For those women who want to restore lost volume from pregnancy or weight loss or have the shape they've always wanted, breast augmentation, with either saline or cohesive gel implants are the best choices. Women, obviously, select themselves for, who wants a breast enhancement; but by far, the most common expressed sentiment is that, “I just want to fit right in my clothes.” Also, routinely, in my practice, are sentiments of how they see themselves and how others see them, such as, “When I got to the pool I feel embarrassed that 12 year olds have bigger breasts than I do. I'm tired of padded bras.” Women, particularly, hate to be accused of false advertising and want to do something about it. I'm here today with my patient, Tanya Masterka. She's a 38 year old homemaker, and she's a student. And, welcome Tanya to Think Health.

Tanya: Thank you.

Paul: How did you decide to undergo breast surgery?

Tanya: Well, there was a lot of changes going on in my life; and I had my son three years prior and lost weight and reunited with the love of my life, my high school sweetheart. So, everything was coming together. And after the weight loss, I just didn't see the same body that I had seen before I had children.

Paul: So, that post-deflation changes are a common experience with patients. Now that you're two years post-op, how do you feel about your breast enhancement and your lift?

Tanya: I would never change it. It was the best decision I made and now I feel like I'm the total package.

Paul: You are. Well, thank you for joining me today.

Women who have had their last child can also be assured that breast feeding is not restricted. For those who have already chosen to have implants, the connections between the nipple and the ducts are not interrupted when the implant is placed under the muscle, so that your fertility and breast feeding considerations can be based upon your lifestyle once you do have a baby.

Another [inaudible 00:02:53] decision is achieving an understanding of how the new gummy bear implants work. The old-fashioned implants where the liquid silicone, that would form changes in the tissues if it leaked out of the shell. Since 2006, the FDA has allowed silicone gel that is cross-linked with cohesive or memory gel to be the sole material allowed to fill the silicone implants.

Silicone or Saline Breast Implants Enhancement

Dr. Paul Vanek discusses the safety of Silicone and Saline breast implants and why women enhance their breast size. Dr. Vanek interviews one of his patients who underwent this procedure.