In this article, Jordan P. Farkas, M.D., a board certified plastic surgeon in Paramus, New Jersey, discusses the main differences between saline and silicone breast implants.
“Hi, it’s Dr. Farkas. I would like to talk to you about breast augmentation and show you a couple different implants that are used.
One is a saline implant, which is made of normal saline with a silicone shell. It’s more like a water balloon, so I generally don’t recommend it very strongly. However, if patients are terrified of silicone it’s a very good option to have. The other option that’s out there now is silicone gel implants. It can be round or shaped. This is a round implant that has a textured shell, versus the smooth shell that I was just showing you with the saline implant.
Silicone is much softer and more natural than a saline implant, and so patients generally like it better because it has a softer and more natural feel for their breast shape.
One of the interesting things about breast implants and silicone gel is that people are terrified that silicone gel can leak – like liquid – everywhere. Probably in the early nineties – when there was a big scare in 1992 – that may have been the case. However now the gels that are used are very cohesive, so they really don’t leak.
As you can see here, we just cut the shell of this implant. The silicone doesn’t really leak out of the implant because it has more of a memory to itself, just like a gummy bear does when you cut it.
So, when people ask about gummy bear implants that’s kind of what they’re asking about – the silicone gel really just adheres to itself and doesn’t leak outside of the implant. This gel was cut with a knife, so obviously, a rupture doesn’t really happen like this.
So those are a few things you should know about breast augmentation and implants. Hopefully this was helpful and we’ll see you soon. Take care!”
Find out more about breast aumgentation implant options by scheduling a consultation at The Breslow Center in Paramus, New Jersey today! Call 201-444-9522.
