Are Silicone Breast Implants Safe?

When considering having a breast augmentation, one of the first questions a woman researches is “Are breast implants safe?” And this is a question that I am asked several times a day. The answer is, yes!

See what the inside of a 20-year-old silicone implant looks like!

Breast Implant Options: Saline vs Silicone

Many women are initially cautious about silicone implants because the FDA removed them from the market in the United States in 1992 after many instances of the implants rupturing, as well as due to complaints that the implants could lead to health problems. However, after extensive studies, links to health problems were never confirmed and the FDA lifted the ban on silicone breast implants in 2006. Today, both silicone and saline breast implants are approved by the FDA. So what’s the difference between saline and silicone implants? They both have an outer silicone shell, but are filled with different materials which account for their distinctions.

Saline Implants

Saline breast implants are silicone shells filled with sterile salt water. The saline implants are inserted empty and placed in the proper position before being filled with salt water. If a saline breast implant ruptures, the salt water will be released from the implant’s shell and will deflate. The leaking saline solution is absorbed by your body without posing any health risks, but you’ll need surgery to remove the silicone shell and replace it with a new implant.

Silicone Implants

Silicone breast implants are pre-filled with a cohesive silicone gel. Many patients prefer the look and feel of silicone implants because the soft silicone gel better mimics natural breast tissue. If a silicone implant is ruptured, it is often referred to as a “silent rupture” because the silicone gel is designed to hold together and not “leak or migrate” into the body. Patients may not always know their silicone implant has ruptured because there will not be a change in the breast’s appearance.

While both saline and silicone implants have their pros and cons, Dr. Firouz prefers to use silicone implants because they truly provide the best results for his patients. However, he knows that every patient is unique and still does offer saline breast implants if that is what the patient prefers.

View before & after breast implant pictures in our photo gallery!

Silicone Implant Replacement

If you had silicone implants placed prior to 2007, Dr. Firouz strongly encourages you to have them replaced with new silicone implants in the very near future. The gel used in silicone breast implants prior to 2007 is not the same high-quality gel that is used today.

In this video, you can see a silicone implant from 20 years ago that Dr. Firouz removed from a patient during an implant replacement procedure… Obviously, no one wants their implants disintegrating like this in their body. If you had a breast augmentation with silicone implants prior to 2007, you should exchange your implants for new and improved silicone implants. Today’s silicone implants DO NOT disintegrate like this and are very very safe!

Contact Us Today!

For more information about silicone vs saline implants or if you are in need of a silicone breast implant replacement surgery in Beverly Hills with Dr. Firouz, please fill out our contact form below or call us at 310.274.4321.