Breast Augmentation: How about saline?
Saline implants remain the implant of choice for the majority of women seeking breast augmentation. Saline implants are a silicone shell that is filled with sterile salt water. The amount added can affect the size, shape, and feel of the breast.
The positive aspects of using a saline implant include:
1. A smaller incision to place the implant (1 ½ inches for saline, 2 inches for gel)
2. Greater flexibility in final volume as they have a range of fill volumes for a given implant
3. No question about whether the implant is intact. If the mound is present, the implant is intact. Saline implants will often leak at a fold in the implant material and the saline will be absorbed by the body and expelled as if the patient drank a glass of Gatorade. No special x-rays are needed.
4. Replacing the implant when it ruptures is often done under local anesthesia with the patient returning to work that day.
5. Cost: Using saline implants will reduce the cost of the operation by about $1200 compared to gel
Disadvantages of saline implants:
1. The implant may be more easily felt in thin patients, patients who have little breast tissue, and those with thin skin.
2. When the implant ruptures, you will know immediately and while replacing it is not urgent, most patients will seek to have it replaced within 1-2 weeks since the disparity in breast sizes will make most uncomfortable. That said, we have had patients wait a month or more before proceeding with replacement after a deflation.