Informed Decision About Saline Breast Implants

Have you been considering breast implants, worried about the mixed information out there? Not sure if it's safe, even though millions of women around the world have opted for them. With research, you can make an informed decision.

The breast is made up of glands and milk ducts, surrounded with fatty tissue and then supported by the pectoral muscle. Nursing, weight changes, and aging can all cause the breast to sag or lose shape.

A breast implant is simply a silicone shell that is filled with saline, which is no more than salt water. The saline is added through a small valve, and how much is added, depends on what you and your surgeon decide.

Women seek out implants for two basic reasons. They'd like to increase the size of the breasts, or they have suffered either an injury or mastectomy and are looking for breast reconstructive surgery.

Before you decide to have saline breast implants, there are a few things you should know.
1. This may not be a one-time thing. Over your lifetime, you are likely going to need additional surgeries, and your pocket book needs to be able to handle that.
2. Many of the changes that occur to the breast after you have an implant cannot be reversed, so if you choose to have your implants removed, your breast could look quite different from your original breast.
3. Mammography screening can be difficult with implants.
4. Your insurance premiums may increase as a result of having had breast implants.
5. If your breast implants are part of reconstructive surgery, your first surgery will likely be covered by your insurance, but subsequent surgeries could be your responsibility.

If you currently have a malignant tumor or pre-cancerous growths, you cannot have breast implants because you are at an increased risk.

If you have an autoimmune disease, you may not be a candidate or if you have trouble with blood clotting or wound healing. Any of these conditions you will need to discuss with your surgeon.

Saline breast implants have shown to be safe, and they'll look great and make you feel great. Of course as with any medical procedure, you should discuss your personal situation with your plastic surgeon.

Saline vs. Silicone Breast Implants – Cost Comparison

For a while women only had saline breast implants to choose from, but now both saline breast implants and silicone breast implants have FDA approval. So now you need to decide what’s best for you. You might start with a cost comparison.

Breast enlargements can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 or even more and generally they are not covered by health insurance. Silicone usually costs around a $1000 more than the comparative saline implants. So let’s have a look at the other differences.

The benefits of saline breast implants are that they are less expensive than silicone, surgery involves a smaller incision, which is usually only 3 cm, and the volume is adjustable.

The pros of silicone breast implants are that they feel much more natural, are compressible, and have minimal rippling.

On the disadvantages, saline breast implants can ripple and wrinkle, and it can be felt through the skin. They can feel too firm to be natural, and when you lie on your stomach, you will actually feel the pressure points on each side of your chest where the saline breast implants are located. When you have silicone breast implants, this disappears.

The con of silicone is they are about $1,000 more expensive, and the incision is longer ranging from 4 to 5 cm. The volume is not adjustable so what you get is what you get.

Silicone implants also need to be monitored for potential ruptures. This can lead to chronic breast pain. The FDA recommends that if you have silicone implants, you should have an MRI at least once every two years. MRI scans cost on average $1,500, and it will not be covered by your medical insurance because it is related to cosmetic surgery.

The difference in price is really not enough to base your final decision on, but by comparing both the pros and cons of both sides you will make the right decision for you.