Silicone Or Gel Breast Implants NJ.

Both implants are made of a silicone polymer membrane that holds either saline or silicone gel. When I started my practice in 1984 we only used gel filled implants. Very few plastic surgeons used saline filled implants. Then all of a sudden a media frenzy started about the silicone gel implants. It was said that they were dangerous and could cause all kinds of diseases. Every woman with a little joint pain was asked to remove her implants. The lawyers started suing the manufacturers and sometimes the doctors who put these implants in. The FDA disallowed the use of silicone implants for breast augmentations, but allowed it for breast reconstruction. Dow Corning the manufacturer of silicone implants went out of business and we only had saline implants for breast augmentation in the US. In New Jersey, we were doing these procedures with textured saline implants. Texture versu smooth is another subject that I will get into  another day. Initially, there was no science behind these claims. Despite of that several law suites were won by the plaintiffs. Years went by and eventually the science caught up. It was finally proven that the silicone implants were safe and did not cause autoimmune diseases. Finally the FDA allowed the silicone implant for breast augmentation. Now both implants are available and they both work well for breast enhancement, but there are differences and the patients need to make a decision.

These are the differences in a nut shell:

1) The gel implant feels more like the patient’s tissue, therefore is better. The saline implant is a bag filled with salt water and it doesn’t feel quite as natural as the silicone. This difference is definitely more noticeable in patients with very small breasts or after mastectomy when there is very little soft tissue to cover over the implant. In patients with larger breasts it doesn’t make as much of a difference and saline implants are very acceptable.

2)  The FDA has required that every patient who gets the gel implant agree to get an MRI to rule out a rupture every two to three years and the manufacturers have made that a requirement as well. Here again, there is little science behind this requirement and it is controversial if this is really necessary, nevertheless this is the law. MRIs are expensive and some patients don’t like them because they get claustrophobic. This is therefore a major problem with the gel implants.

3)  The gel implants require a larger incision to
insert them, about twice the length necessary for inserting a saline implant.

4)  Gel implants are about twice the price of a saline implant. That makes the operation about four to five hundred dollars more expensive.

5)  The gel implants seem to be more stable and are less likely to drop lower in the long run.

As you can see there are advantages and disadvantages. This is why you need to be examined by an experienced plastic surgeon and decide together what would work best for you. I usually spend an hour discussing theses issues amongst other issues with every patient who comes for a consultation in my office in Morristown, New Jersey. Please explore the site. Go to procedures and read about breast augmentation. See the pictures in the picture gallery and read the pertinent blogs under breast category, then call the office for an informative consultation with me.