Breast Implant Rupture: Saline vs. Silicone

By: Ned James ... Click on author's name for more of their articles

Breast augmentation is one of the most successful of all plastic surgery procedures. Despite this fact, breast implant failure is an unfortunate possible in the breast augmentation procedure. The two main types of breast implants, saline and silicone, fail differently. It is important that you know the differences before making your final implant decision.

Eventually all implants may fatigue and develop a hole in the outer shell. It naturally happens over time as a result of the motion within the implant wall. A tear may develop in the outer shell due to the pressure of the implant contents due to your natural motion. Even though the breast implant shell is tough and durable, it is still subject to this problem.

Over the past 14 years the most common implant has been filled with saline. Until November of 2006 it was the only FDA approved implant, while the silicone implant was used primarily in clinical trials.

Saline implants are subject to deflation because the fluid can easily flow through a hole in the outer shell. The deflation of a saline implant can happen over a very short period of time. Women with saline implants have reported that their implants have deflated as little as within a day, while others over a few weeks.

In either case, the failure of a saline implant is quite obvious as the breast loses the volume it had when the implant was full. While this is problematic, of course, some women consider this to be an advantage since it is much more difficult to tell if a silicone implant has actually ruptured. That is, upon failure of the saline implant the woman knows rather quickly that she needs to visit her plastic surgeon.

Due to the density of silicone implants, the cohesive gel inside the implant is not subject to leaking in the same manner as saline. The cohesive silicone gel is rather thick and sticky and is bonded together. Unless the hole developing in the implant is very large, the gel is not likely to squeeze out. Even with a large hole, while the silicone may bulge out of the tear, it will eventually fall back in due to its thick, viscous consistency.

This silent rupture has its advantages and disadvantages. If you choose silicone implants you may not even notice the rupture until your mammogram reveals the problem. In a mammogram, as the silicone implant is squeezed, any bulging gel will show.

Both types of implants are subject to failure. As saline is subject to rapid deflation it is more likely a woman would need to replace this type at some point due to its rupture. In most cases, even upon failure, silicone breast implants will cause no noticeable change in appearance or feel.

Upon evidence of implant failure you will need to visit again with your plastic surgeon. While the rupture of implants are not as common as in the past is remains as one of the important factors you must consider when choosing your implant. Discuss the benefits and risks of saline and silicone breast implant failures with your plastic surgeon.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Visit L.W. Gatz, home of the Purlz Breast Sizing System, to learn more about saline and silicone implants along with how to choose your breast implant size. Also visit my blog at www.breastauginfo.com for up to the minute information on breast augmentation.

Note: The content of this article solely conveys the opinion of its author, Ned James

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