The Differences Between Saline and Silicone Implants

Breast augmentation surgery is an excellent way for you to improve your appearance and enhance the curves and contours of your body. Not only can breast augmentation surgery increase the size of your breasts, it can also improve the firmness of the breasts and provide a much needed lift of the body contour. The team at our Santa Barbara plastic surgery understands just how important a decision it is to undergo breast augmentation surgery, so we tend to discuss the surgery in great detail with patients during the consultation process. There are plenty of factors and decisions that go into the surgical placement of breast implants.

For example, there is the type of breast implant to use during surgery. By that we mean not the size of the breast implant but the substance inside of the breast implants. The choice is between saline breast implants and silicone breast implants. Let’s take a look at the differences between the two.

Saline breast implants are breast implants that are filled with a saline solution. For a while, they were the only kind of breast implants that were available in the United States.

Silicone breast implants are breast implants that are filled with silicone gel. These were briefly taken off the market in the United States, but were approved for use in the country again a few years ago.

The filling in the breast implants lead to a number of differences in terms of appearance, texture, and other matters. For one, silicone breast implants are generally considered to look and feel more realistic than saline breast implants. That said, saline breast implants are generally safer should a breast implant rupture or become punctured. Determining which implant is right for you will depend on a number of factors, including your body type, your skin laxity, the surgical procedure, and so forth.

For more information on Santa Barbara breast augmentation surgery as well as other matters related to enhancing your figure and your body contours, be sure to contact our office in Santa Barbara to schedule a consultation.