Breast augmentation is one of the most popular procedures performed in the office of the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, so it was no surprise when the American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced that breast implants are now the number one most perform cosmetic surgery in the country.  Last year alone, plastic surgeons everywhere performed over 307,000 breast enhancement surgeries.  This trend can partially be attributed to the 2006 FDA approval of silicone implants, which after technological advancements and a 10 year long study, the FDA deemed “safe and effective.” Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the two:

Saline:  A saline breast implant consists of a strong, silicone elastomer shell that is filled with salt water that has been sterilized.  An advantage to this type of implant is that, in the rare case that an implant is ruptured, the salt water will be able to dissolve natural into the body – causing little health concerns.  Also, some saline implants contain a tiny valve whereby your surgeon can increase the size of the implant if you desire them to be bigger, or reduce the amount of saline solution if you decide you want to minimize your bust. However, saline implants can have a less natural look and feel than their silicone counterparts. Especially in women who are very thin or have limited original breast tissue to cover the implant, silicone may be a more natural-looking option.

Silicone: Recently approved by the FDA in 2006, silicone implants are filled with a silicone gel, whose texture closely resembles the texture of natural breast tissue.  Silicone implants give the breast a much softer and more natural look and feel than saline-filled breast implants. The downside is that it is much harder to detect when a leak occurs in a silicone implant.  Also, once you have had breast augmentation surgery, you cannot change the size of your implant without another procedure. Long-term testing has proved that, under the care of a qualified physician, both silicone and saline implants are very safe and effective.

At our office, we use both saline and silicone implants for breast aug patients, carefully weighing the options to decide which plan of action is best for them.  Visit our breast augmentation page for more information about this procedure.   Stay tuned for Part 2 (The Procedure) of this series coming soon!

Tags: breast augmentation, Dr. McCluskey, plastic surgery, plastic surgery institute of atlanta, saline, silicone

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