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Dr. Christopher Newman has been helping women who seek breast implant surgery for nearly 20 years. Some women want breast implants because they have lost a breast to disease, while others want implants because they are dissatisfied with the look of their breasts. As of 2020, women who want breast implants have a variety to choose from. Read on for more information.
Two Basic Breast Implants
Breast implants can either be filled with silicone or saline. A saline breast implant is filled with sterilized salt water.
Silicone is a gel that makes the implant look and feel more like the patient’s natural breast. The FDA has approved five kinds of silicone to use for breast implants. A new type of silicone implant is called the gummy bear implant, which gets its name because it has the consistency of gummy candies. They’re technically known as high cohesive gel implants.
Gummy bear implants are thicker than regular silicone implants and can maintain their shape better. They can do this even if the shells rupture. All breast implants have a shell that is made out of silicone.
The size of breast implants are between 150 to over 800 cubic centimetres.
Breast Implant Shapes
Round
Most implants, whether they are saline or silicone, are round to give the breast lift and fullness.
Tear-shaped
In contrast to most saline and silicone implants, gummy bear implants are always tear-shaped to make the breast look more natural. The tear-shaped implant is also called “form stable.” Though a round implant can rotate without changing the look of the breast very much, this isn’t true of tear-shaped implants.
How Do Implants Feel?
Textured Implants
These implants have a grainy outer shell and are held in place by scar tissue. They also pose less risk for capsular contracture, which are adhesions of scar tissue that can develop around the implant. Textured implants have a firm look and feel and are always tear-shaped.
Smooth Implants
The shells of smooth breast implants are softer than textured implants, and the way they feel and move is more natural. This is because they are placed inside the pocket that Dr. Newman creates in the patient’s chest. They have been known to last longer than textured implants, but they can shift over time and ripple, especially if the patient does not have a lot of natural breast tissue.
Choosing a Type of Breast Implant
Silicone breast implants are approved for women who are over 22 if the surgery is cosmetic. If they are approved for reconstructive surgery, women of any age can have them. Women over 18 can have saline implants. Because it is hard to detect a leaking silicone implant, especially a gummy bear implant, the FDA recommends that a patient have an MRI three years are she received her implants and every two years afterwards.
Breast implants are not meant to last for the rest of the patient’s life and are usually replaced after about 10 years.
Schedule a Consultation
To learn more about breast augmentation and which type of implant would be best for you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Newman by calling (727) 897-5444.
