Breast augmentation is year in and year out one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the U.S., even here in little old Grand Rapids! For a woman who has always felt her breasts were not proportional with the rest of her figure, augmentation can really change her body image and her self-confidence with it. Or if your breasts are somewhat asymmetrical, augmentation can address that while also adding some size. Or maybe you simply want to have larger breasts.
The one thing with augmentation, however, is the decision has to be made just for you. This is a lifelong decision (you’ll usually have to have at least one or two replacement surgeries during your lifetime), and it can’t be made for a husband or partner.
At Elite Plastic Surgery, Drs. Cullen, Armstrong, and Martin all have extensive experience with breast augmentation surgery, ensuring you’ll be happy with your procedure.
Here is some information on one of the decisions you’ll need to make once you decide to move forward with this procedure, the implant type.
Implant type
You’ll decide on the type of implants you want. It used to be simply saline or silicone, but now there is a third option, gummy bear implants. Although technically silicone, gummy bear implants are so different they really merit a separate distinction.
- Saline— Saline implants are medical-grade silicone shells filled with sterile saline solution. One advantage of saline implants is that they are filled once placed in the created breast pocket. This allows for a smaller incision, and it allows some variability in final size, as the implants aren’t placed filled (as silicone implants are).
People think that if a saline implant ruptures that it is safer than silicone, but this really isn’t true. Yes, the body will simply absorb the saline solution, but the ruptured implant shell still needs to be removed and replaced. This will require the same surgery that would happen if a silicone implant ruptured. The only difference would be that any silicone that leaked from the ruptured shell would also be removed.
- Silicone— Silicone implants are medical-grade silicone shells filled with silicone gel. The consensus is that silicone implants feel the most like natural breast tissue. They also don’t ripple as much as saline implants. Silicone implants are placed fully filled, so that does limit some incision locations, such as areolar with larger implants.
- Gummy bear— These implants debuted in 2012 and got their name from a surgeon based on the consistency of the silicone gel. This gel is highly cohesive, meaning if the implant ruptures, the gel tends to adhere to itself rather than leaving the shell. If you cut a gummy bear implant in half, the gel stays in each half. These implants are teardrop shaped, which is similar to the natural breast shape.
Are you considering breast augmentation? Call the experienced team at Elite Plastic Surgery, (616) 459-1907, to set up a consultation.
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