Breast Implants

Breast Implant Fill

Currently, saline-filled implants are the only FDA approved choice for women unless the patient is having reconstructive surgery or is part of a scientific study. If that is the case, then silicone gel-filled implants are available.

Saline-Filled

The standard rubber implant sac is filled with a sterile salt-water solution called saline. Saline-filled implants were approved by the FDA in May 2000.

Silicone Gel-Filled

In 1992, due to some health scares and lack of definitive information, the FDA essentially banned the use of silicone gel-filled implants for cosmetic breast enlargement pending further studies. However, this does not mean that silicone gel-filled implants are off the market. In fact, women still have the option of silicone implants if they meet certain specifications and are willing to enroll in long-term scientific studies.

Women can qualify for silicone gel-filled implants if they have any of the following difficulties:

Reconstruction after a mastectomy

Severe injury to the breast

A birth defect that affects the breast

A medical condition causing a severe breast abnormality

A rupture of an existing implant

Need for a lift and implants simultaneously

Rippling of skin with saline implants

It should be noted that in June 1999, the National Academy Institute of Medicine stated, Evidence suggests that such diseases or conditions (autoimmune or systemic disorders) are no more common in women with breast implants than women without breast implants. Silicone gel-filled implants are still widely used in Europe. Other Options Of course, there is the constant quest to find new filling materials for breast implants. Soybean oil, peanut oil, hydrogel, and others have been tried.

However, none of these alternative fills are currently approved by the FDA. Prefilled saline implants have also been tried. With this type of implant, there is no valve which decreases the chance of leaking. They are slightly softer, but do require a larger incision because they are filled prior to surgery. The FDA took them off the market in May 2000.

Adjustability Mentor Corp., one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of breast implant devices in the United States, offers two families of implants. One family is the Saline-Filled and the other is referred to as the Spectrum TM Implants. The first is a standard implant that is filled during surgery and is unable to be adjusted after surgery. These implants are self-sealing with the valve in front. This valve is used for filling the implant with saline during surgery and is unable to be altered after surgery. The second is the Spectrum family implant with the valve in back, giving patients the option to adjust the amount of saline in their implants for up to six months after surgery. This adjustment is achieved through a removable fill tube. Implants can be made bigger or smaller during a simple office visit. Implant Shape Implants come in two shapes: round or contoured. Contoured are also commonly referred to as anatomical or tear drop. Round Round implants are just that, round, and they are the most common choice. The round shape tends to give more fullness to the entire breast. They range in diameter from 9.5 cm to 15.6 cm and come in smooth or textured surfaces.

Here are some of the advantages:

Cost less than contoured

Not affected by rotation

Look more natural when patient is laying down

There are no significant disadvantages.

Contoured

A contoured implant is sometimes referred to as anatomical because it more closely resembles the shape of a natural breast. A contoured implant has a top and a bottom, and it looks like the shape of a teardrop. This shape allows for more fullness at the bottom of the breast. However, it is important to note that when contoured implants are placed submuscularly they may assume a round appearance anyway.

Contoured implants: Have a higher fold failure than rounds which can lead to a rupture. May flip or rotate in pocket Maintain teardrop shaped when patient is laying down High Profile Salines Both round and contoured implants may be purchased in a new High Profile series offered by Mentor. They have increased the height of the implant without increasing the diameter. In the past a larger implant was used to achieve the same projection now offered by High Profile Salines.. The larger implants were not always proportional for women with small chest diameters. High profile salines have a much smoother outer shell than the standard salines. This is a great benefit for women with little breast tissue or fat because less rippling is visible.