Breast Augmentation: Silicone or Saline

Breast augmentation has been near to or at the top of the list when it comes to popular forms of cosmetic surgery. Women drive the plastic surgery industry, by and large, so this should come as no surprise. What many already know is that there has been a great deal of controversy in the past when it comes to the preferred implant. Silicone or saline? For some time, silicone implants were banned in the United States. Now they are back and they are more popular than ever before.

For breast cancer patients, mastectomy is often the only way to stop the disease from spreading. Following the surgery, many women choose to have breast augmentation and reconstruction and it turns out that silicone is by far the most popular form of implant for this procedure. Why is this so, considering the murky past of this material? As it happens, many women prefer the results they get with silicone. They tend to look better immediately and this difference only grows after years have passed. While some safety concerns remain in the minds of some, there is a huge difference between the silicone implants of today and those that were federally banned for nearly ten years.

Of course it is natural for someone who has dealt with the horror of cancer to choose what they perceive to be the safer choice between the two. The truth is, however, that the initial complaints against silicone—those that were the basis for the ban—turned out not to be true upon research. Fears of immune disorders and lupus turned out not to be based on scientific evidence and this reasoning was much of the impetus behind lifting the ban. With the safety concerns being lowered all the time and the preference for the look of silicone increasing, some market analysts predict that nearly all implants will be silicone in the near future, barring some unforeseen new material.

But it isn’t numbers or statistics that should form the basis for a personal choice. In almost every case, the patient should have the final say in whether they prefer silicone or saline for their breast augmentation surgery. Most doctors are willing to work with either material, though they may express a preference or recommend one type over the other. If you are planning to have the surgery, listen carefully to what your doctor has to say, do your own research, but in the end realize that the ultimate decision is up to you.