Should I choose saline or silicone Breast Implants?

When deciding to have breast enlargement surgery one of the major issues that crops up is whether to opt for saline or silicone breast implants for your breast augmentation.

As with many decisions there are pros and cons to be weighed up before you can make an informed choice.

What are the pros and cons of saline and silicone implants?

There are two main internal components of breast implants used in breast enlargement surgery and these are either silicone or saline (salt water).

The outer shells in both saline and silicone implants are both made of silicone. The original breast implants were filled with liquid silicone and over twenty years ago a debate arose about their safety. For this reason silicone breast implants were removed from the American market pending further investigation.

After extensive investigation the FDA, which regulates medical devices in America, reported that silicone implants were safe and since then silicone implants have been permitted in the USA.

Silicone implants were never banned in the UK as there was insufficient evidence to support suggestions about their lack of safety.

If you would like a summary of the available evidence regarding the safety of silicone implants please contact us at info@auroraclinics.co.uk or phone us on 01324 578290 and we will be delighted to forward you the information.

Advantages and disadvantages of saline breast surgery implants

During the period that silicone implants were not available in the USA the only filler material available was saline.

Saline has the advantage of being an inert body substance but has the following disadvantages:

• The implants are more prone to rippling as they are filled with a watery substance, unlike silicone which has the same soft consistency as natural breast tissue. •
• They’’re more prone to rupture and deflate as the saline solution will be naturally absorbed by the body.

Saline implants have the advantage that they can be deflated and inserted through very small incisions. You may have read about breast implants being inserted through the tummy button. This is a very small incision and only deflated saline implants can be inserted by this route.

More about silicone breast surgery implants

The vast majority of breast enlargement procedures performed in England use silicone implants which mimic natural breast consistency and softness and in many cases give a more natural long-standing result. The downside of a silicone implant is that a larger incision is required to insert the implant and consequently there is a scar.

Do your research thoroughly

Overall it is ideal to have a full understanding of the pros and cons of inserting both saline and silicone implants so that you can make the best possible decision about which would be the most suitable for you.

It is worthwhile listening to our free information CD on silicone implants and it is also worth reviewing the government information booklet on breast implants which summarises the studies of silicone implants over the years.

We would also encourage you to have a full discussion with your surgeon as to the pros and cons of both silicone and saline implants to determine which would be best for you.

For more information or to book your free breast enlargement consultation with one of our Aurora specialist surgeons, call today on 01324 578290.