Saline or Silicone?
Many women look in the mirror and find things about their bodies they wish they could change, and sometimes the very thing they want to change is not affected by diet or exercise. Many women are happy with their bodies overall, but it is the size or shape of their breasts they wish they could change.
Throughout a woman’s life, her body goes through many physical changes, including pregnancy, weight loss and/or gain, the general effects of aging, and medical procedures. Each one of these factors can change the appearance of breast tissue. Breasts may sag with age or as a result of breast feeding, shrink with hormone fluctuations, or be removed due to surgery for another medical condition. With these changes a woman may lose confidence and seek ways to improve her appearance.
Breast augmentation is a great way to improve the look and feel of your breasts, from uplift and shape, to areola size. Breast augmentation can give back what time or hormonal changes diminish, and restore self-confidence.
Your Options
When considering breast augmentation, a patient should understand her options. Breast surgery has vastly improved over the years, and the details of the procedures being done vary depending on what a person wants. Every woman is individual and so is her body, therefore no breast augmentation surgery is going to be identical to another.
For example, patients have the option of choosing between saline and silicone implants. Both are equally safe and yield excellent results, but it is always advisable to understand the differences.
Saline implants are actually filled with liquid, sterile salt water to be exact. They are implanted empty, and then filled with solution once set in place. While silicone implants are filled with a special gel, which many say resembles the feel of actual breast tissue. They are filled before they are inserted during surgery, and have a slightly more natural appearance.
Whether they are saline or silicone, implants are placed underneath the breast tissue or chest wall muscle. The incisions are made in one of three places, either underneath the breast, the armpit, or near the areola. Saline implants may also be inserted through an incision near the navel with an endoscopic procedure.
The risks are very similar for each. When undergoing breast augmentation certain complications, though rare, may arise, including swelling, pain, infection, capsular contraction, loss of nipple sensation, or leaking due to implant damage.
A ruptured silicone implant is much harder to recognize than a ruptured saline implant, as it may never leak due to gel getting stuck within the breast tissue. This will usually only cause cosmetic changes, though it may not do so for a long time, and doesn’t pose any medical risk. A ruptured saline implant does not pose any health risks because the body will absorb the saline solution. However, the breast will change dramatically in shape and size very quickly, and the implant shell will need to be removed.
Making Your Decision
When making your decision whether or not to undergo breast augmentation, Chicagoland Aesthetics will be there to answer all of your questions and discuss your options. We will be at your side throughout your procedure from beginning to end, and that includes helping you choose the most suitable breast implants for your body. Call us today to schedule a free consultation at one of our Chicagoland locations.