Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in the United States and understandably so. Women love the way their breasts look and feel, and breast implants can enhance a woman’s self-confidence and improve her quality of life. The truth is that there are two kinds of breast implants available for women: silicone gel and saline. Although saline implants have been around for many years, they are considered to be a more expensive option by many surgeons and women.
There are basically two kinds of saline implants: the demi-orbitant and the forward flexure. Demi-orbitant are made up of tiny beads that are similar to beads found in sand or seashells. These beads, when inserted into the crevice under the breast, create a small but noticeable mound on the outer edge of the breast. This mound is slightly higher than the mound created by a forward flexure. Because of the difference in height, the recovery time for these two kinds of breast augmentation is very different.
Silicone gel breast implants are considered to be the best of the two kinds. While they cannot provide as striking an appearance as saline-filled implants can, they are a far more durable substance, and silicone gel breast implants are also more reliable. While saline-filled breast implants rupture easily and do not last as long, silicone gel breast implants do not break easily, are not prone to rupture and do not leak. Silicone gel breast implants also have a much longer shelf life than saline-filled breast implants. All these factors contribute to the increasing popularity of silicone breast implants among women who undergo cosmetic surgery.
The biggest advantage of silicone breast implants is that they provide a natural, noticeable change in size and shape that gives a woman a truly youthful appearance. Since silicone breast implants are designed to fill the natural breasts, they don’t make any obvious outward signs of their presence. These implants feel very natural and do not visibly detract from a woman’s appearance. It is this seamless look that makes silicone breast implants the best kind of postoperative breast augmentation. They can be used to restore fullness or minimize sagging and drooping of the natural breasts.
Another advantage of silicone breast implants is that they do not cause any real problems with the body’s endocrine system. Because saline is made of a combination of water and fats, it can be a very heavy fluid, which can be very uncomfortable and can even cause excessive weight gain. Silicone, on the other hand, is a very light fluid that does not weigh an ounce.
Finally, silicone breast implants are far more secure than saline breast implants, as a result of their composition. They do not contain silica sand or calcium sand, as is common in many saline breast implants. Instead, the substance used to make the implant is hyaluronic acid gel, which provides a hard shell to the substance filled within. Hyaluronic acid is what allows silicone to maintain its shape over time, as well as its firmness, while also maintaining a smooth surface for ease of insertion into the body.