Making the choice between Silicone Implants and Saline Implants

When it comes to breast augmentations, there will be a choice that every woman who undergoes one will have to make: should she get silicone implants or should she get saline implants? However, if the woman is under 21 years of age, the FDA will have already made the choice for her- the silicone implant is only approved for patients who are at least 21 years old while the saline implant is approved for patients over the age of 18.

In the past, the silicone implant was subject to controversy as some claimed that it could cause long-term detrimental effects on the health of women- if silicone were to leak out of the implant and into the breast tissue and body. Studies performed about this issue have returned inconclusive results as to whether or not saline would indeed be responsible for any health problems and issues, either in the short-term or the long-term. After extensive testing has shown that silicone poses no significantly greater threat to the health of women than saline implants, the FDA re-approved silicone implants in 2006 for breast augmentation in Los Angeles.

Saline implants were not subject to this controversy as saline implants are filled with saline, which is essentially a sterile saltwater solution that will harmlessly be absorbed by the body in the event of a leak. However, the saline implant was said to look and feel less like real breast tissue as compared to silicone implants. After the techniques in breast augmentation procedures involving saline implants were re-engineered, saline implants were rendered in such a way that they now produce similar results as to those provided by silicone implants. By slightly over-filling saline implants and placing the implant behind the breast muscle, the cosmetic surgeon will be able to bring about a breast that looks and feels similar to a breast that was enhanced using a silicone implant.

Although saline implants tend to result in a slightly harder overall breast than silicone implants do, some women prefer saline implants over silicone implants because saline breast implants in Beverly Hills require a smaller incision during the breast augmentation procedure than silicone implants. This is because silicone implants come pre-filled in a predetermined size, meaning that the cosmetic surgeon will need to make an incision large enough to accommodate a pre-filled implant. But the saline implant does not come pre-filled; the cosmetic surgeon will insert an empty implant into the breast and subsequently fill it to the desired amount with saline.

The decision between silicone implants and saline implants, as long as the patient is over 21 years of age, is more or less a personal one these days. But only after a thorough and open discussion with your cosmetic surgeon should you make the decision between the two types of implants.

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