Which Implants Should I Choose?

Which Implants Should I Choose?

I’m often asked what breast implant is the “best”. Here’s my usual answer.

Silicone implants are better for thin patients without much of their own breast tissue. For heavier chested women, the difference is minimal. These advantages are because silicone implants are softer and show less rippling; with the newer (5th generation silicone gel implants) that have been released in the last few months, this improvement is even more noticeable.

In years past, it was felt that silicone implants had a higher contracture (tight scar around the implant) rate than saline, but it really seems to not be as much the case anymore, so we really don’t need to give that a lot of worry.

The implants will behave differently when they rupture – saline implants deflate like a balloon – silicone implants generally don’t change at all (plus there is overall no health worries with a silicone rupture).

Saline implants do allow for more “on the table” adjustments in volume so, for patients with a lot of volume differences between the breast, that might equate to a small advantage. However, with our years of experience, we’re usually able to give the same improvement in breast symmetry using a silicone implant.

Lastly, silicone breast implants will cost more than saline. When factored out over the many years you can expect to get from your silicone implant, the increased cost is minimal.

The optimal way to find out the “best” implant for you is to come in and let us show you these differences and give you our opinion based on your specific situation. Every patient is different… so not every answer is the same.