Saline Implants Are The Safest Implant Available

Breast augmentation surgery is currently the most requested procedure in cosmetic surgery. During the operation, implants are placed in the woman's chest to increase the size of each breast and present a fuller, sexier appearance.

The earliest breast implant was made back in the 1960s. Several materials were considered, but the most successful was silicone. However, it was constantly under a cloud of controversy because of dangerous complications. Years later in 1992, the FDA pulled it off the American market. After fourteen years of study, the FDA declared the safety concerns as manageable complications and approved it once again for American women.

This history of the saline breast implant is not as long and controversial as that of the silicone gel. The French surgeon H. R. Arion saline first introduced the saline implant in 1965. He had searched for an implant that wouldn't have such disastrous results as silicone leakage (the gel is toxin to the body and may trigger an inflammation). The saline implant used the same silicone elastometer shell, but its filler was a sterile saline (saltwater) solution. If a saline implant ruptures and leakes, the body absorbs the non-toxic saline and eliminates it through urination. Therefore, the existence of the saline implant arose out of the controversy regarding silicone gel ruptures.

As soon as they hit the market, the saline implant became the more favorable choice, for aesthetic reasons as well as safety. They are safer than the silicone implant if they rupture and leak, and they are less prone to complications such as excessive scarring.

The saline implant also has the advantage of needing a smaller incision. The surgeon makes a small incision, inserts the implant, and then fills it with saline. The empty saline implant is smaller than the pre-filled silicone gel, so its scar is smaller and easier to hide. Not only is it easier to insert a saline implant, it is easier to replace one if needed.

Through the years, the saline implant has undergone numerous changes and improvements. One very significant change was to the thicker RTV (room temperature vulcanized) shell. It made the implant more durable and less prone to ruptures and leakage.

For fourteen years while the FDA banned the silicone implant, American women had no choice. It was the saline implant or nothing. Now that the silicone gel implant is back on the market, some women choose it over the saline because of the belief that the saline will deflate over time. Most prefer the silicone gel because they believe it better emulates a real breast in appearance and feel. Nevertheless, the saline breast implant is still a popular alternative to the silicone gel.

If you are interested in learning more about saline breast implants, researching the internet is a great place to start. Do your research and compile questions, then go to an expert for your answers. In this case, an expert would be a board-certified plastic surgeon who focuses on breast augmentation. He is the one with the most accurate and up-to-date information, and how it relates to you specifically. Call to schedule an appointment, be it in person or by phone. Most surgeons do not charge for the initial consultation.

Do not consider this article as medical advice. You should only accept medical advice from a licensed physician.
Learn more here: implant ruptures, more info about saline implants, and augmentation recovery.