Implant choice is a personal decision. We will discuss both saline and silicone gel-filled implants during your consultation. You have a variety of implant choices to help you get what you want out of your procedure. Depending on your goals and body shape, any of these implants can look very natural and create a beautiful new breast profile. While saline implants were the only FDA-approved choice available for many years, today the majority of our patients choose silicone gel. The newest generation of cohesive silicone gel implants are extremely durable, offer a soft, natural feel, and are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and filling thicknesses.

To read about each option, choose from the following:

Saline Implants

​Saline implants are made from a strong silicone rubber outer shell that is filled to a specified amount to achieve your desired breast size increase. Saline implants offer a few advantages for certain patients:

• Because they are filled after being placed, they require smaller incisions than silicone for cosmetic breast augmentation

• They can be adjusted to a very precise volume to achieve excellent breast symmetry

• Saline implants are less expensive but just as safe as silicone
  
  

Saline implants do have a firmer feel than silicone as well as an increased chance of visible rippling, particularly in patients with thinner skin. Because of these qualities, we usually find that silicone offers the most natural look and feel, and that saline works best for patients with more existing breast tissue to cover the implant.

​Silicone Implants

Silicone gel implants feel remarkably similar to natural breast tissue. In general, we use round implants, available in a variety of sizes, profiles, and fullness levels. Advantages of silicone gel implants include:

• They can look and feel very natural

• They have less chance of visible rippling, particularly in thinner patients

• They are designed to move within the breast pocket without affecting breast shape
  
  

Because silicone gel implants come pre-filled to a specified amount, the incision required will be a little larger than that required for saline when being used for cosmetic breast augmentation. Their round shape tends to create a fuller upper pole to the breast as well, making these an excellent option for a youthful but natural-looking and feeling breast.

​​​​​​​You would see improvement during the several days after your procedure. You must avoid heavy exercise for several weeks, but otherwise, you can return to work in 5 to 7 days.
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