Saline Breast Implants

Saline breast implants became the most common breast implants during the 1990s due to restrictions on silicone implants by the FDA. And now they are most frequently used implants in plastic and cosmetic surgery in the US. The research data showed that when it comes to safety, saline breast implants have an advantage over silicone implants, which is the main reason they are used more then ever in the field of plastic and cosmetic surgery.

To explain a bit more about saline implants and how they affect the breast augmentation surgery, we need to compare them to silicone implants to establish what are the advantages and the weaknesses.

When it comes to silicone implants, they have more natural feel in comparison to saline breast implants. This is due the fact that a silicone gel that fills the implant has a texture that is quite similar to breast tissue. On the other side, silicone implants have more risk since it is harder to detect if they rupture. If a saline breast implant ruptures, it will deflate and it will be visible to the eye that it needs to be removed. The removal is much easier and safer then a removal of ripped silicone breast implant.

Since the silicone implant is filled with a silicone gel, it holds the shape even when the rupture occurred. But a saline implant will deflate entirely, since it is filled with a salt water that can not hold the shape the way silicone gel does, of course.

Saline breast implants consist of a silicone rubber shell which is inflated with sterile saline. The implants are being inflated during the surgery itself, and this allows surgeons to make a smaller incision then they would if a silicone implant is to be installed, since silicone implants come in certain sizes. The smaller incision causes smaller scar and this is one of the main advantages of a saline breast implants.

When the implant is inside the patient's breast, it will then be inflated to a desired size. The size will go from 120cc to 850cc. If a patient desires larger implants, he will have to go for custom implants.

All saline implants have valves so they can be inflated once they are in patient's breasts. There were 3 types of valves, and one of them ( leaf valve ) is not being used anymore since there were some problems with leaking. The diaphragm and the kink valve are now being used for successful saline implants inflation. After inflation, the valve is the sealed by the surgeon.

Besides the saline implant that is filled during the surgery, there is a saline breas implant that can be filled even after the surgery, if there are any postoperative adjustment needed. This is a bit new, but it is possible to fill the implants intraoperatively, in a surgeon's office.

We would like to mention the pre-filled saline breast implants which are being used outside the US. They are similar to to silicone implants when it comes to the look and feel. They are softer than regular saline breast implants due to thinner shell.