Many patients when they come to us are confused about the different type of implants. Similar to choosing toothpaste these days, the options may be overwhelming. If you are interested in breast augmentation in San Antonio, we recommend you meet with Dr. William Albright to discuss your goals. He will recommend the best options to meet those goals.
Often the first question people ask is saline versus silicone. The main advantage of saline is that if they rupture it is easy to tell as the implant will quickly deflate. With silicone, the gel is typically very thick and viscous. It is called a silent rupture as it is difficult to tell there is a rupture as the gel is slow moving and often contained in the capsule around the breast implant.
The main advantage of silicone is it feels very similar to breast tissue so for aesthetic reasons most women prefer this type of implant. The FDA recommends for cosmetic breast augmentation silicone in be used in women who are over 22 years old as well.
To see a complete breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of saline and silicone implants please check out this blog article. Also important in the decision is which breast implant pocket you and your plastic surgeon decide.
If you are like most women, we want to know what other women choose. The most common implant is a silicone implant based on an outdated study in 2010. At our practice approximately ~80% of women choose silicone implants. Usually they prefer the look of a dual plane or partial submuscular breast augmentation and want to ensure the breast feels very "real."
All breast implants (both saline and silicone) have a silicone outer shell. The difference between implants is the material they are filled with.
Saline Breast Implants are filled with saline, usually at the time of surgery, which allows for a smaller incision or some of the less common techniques of going through the belly button or arm pit. They are typically less expensive than silicone implants.
Silicone Breast Implants are pre-filled with silicone gel and usually inserted through an incision under the breast fold.
