Life with no bust or a bust not worth mentioning can be an unnerving thought, simply because breasts are not only meant for breastfeeding, but also have a cosmetic role in enhancing your appearance and self-confidence. So, if you desire breast enhancement or reconstructive surgery, implant is the answer.

Why breast implants?

Although not the original thing, breast implant is much sought after, as it not only rebuilds your bust, but your self-confidence too! Want a flattering celebrity figure? It’s the implant that comes to your rescue! However, if you ever happen to lose your breast to cancer or accident, there’s nothing better than a breast implant for reconstructive purposes. Even women with asymmetrical breasts opt for it to balance the difference in size. Many women also correct reductions in breast size, resulting from fluctuating hormones after pregnancy, by breast implant surgery.

Types of breast implants
Breast Surgery

Implants

So, what all implants are available in the market? Amongst the several types available, silicone and saline breast implant rule the roost, since some others are still in the trial stages. Let’s have a look at some of them:

a. Silicone breast implant: This implant, at one time, was the most sought after by celebrities and wannabes alike. The reason was its natural feel and texture, and the fact that even a ruptured implant did not deflate suddenly, but lost its shape gradually. However, this implant came into disuse and was finally banned by the FDA, as it fuelled fears of cancer through leaked silicone gel in the body. However, if you want it you can still get it, but you’ll have to become a part of a study. It’s allowed in reconstructive surgery.

b. Saline breast implant: The risk of silicone gel entering the body was obviated with the introduction of the saline implant. Although a saline implant has a silicone bag, it’s filled with harmless salt-water that precludes the risk of leakage. However, where silicone implant had scored, this implant suffers. It doesn’t have a natural feel and feels more like a ‘water filled balloon’ and can deflate, almost immediately, like one too!

c. Gummy bear breast implant: If you’ve handled gummy bear confectionary, you’d know how this cohesive implant would feel. Its new type of shell coating doesn’t cause inflammation, scarring or wrinkling. Even if it ruptures, it maintains its shape, since the gel filled in it just doesn’t seep out! And more importantly, it feels like the breast tissue, not a water balloon! However, it’s still under trial in the US.

d. Soybean oil breast implant: Although, soybean oil breast implants have not been approved by the FDA for use in the US, they enjoy great popularity overseas. However, further clinical trials on humans and mammals are being conducted in the US and Canada.

There are many other types too, like round, anatomical, low profile, moderate profile and high profile breast implants.

Choosing breast implants

The quality of a breast implant that goes into your body is important. The choices you’re required to make may include the type of implant surface, whether textured or smooth; the shape of the breast implant, whether round or anatomical; and the like. You’d do well to answer six basic questions, before you choose an implant – What size? What fill? What shape? What surface? What profile or projection? Which manufacturer?

The two top companies currently manufacturing breast implants are Mentor and Inamed. Of course, there are many others too. Mentor breast implant comes in both saline and silicone variety for use in both breast enlargement and breast reconstruction.

Till the time the scientists come up with a live breast clone, you’d have to do with the artificial implant! So, when shopping for one, be sure what’ll suit you the best, without compromising on quality.

If you’ve decided on breast augmentation for personal or any other reason, you’ve got some good choices. However, the more natural-looking silicone implant is not one of them, since it has been banned by the FDA. You can only get it if you’re required to undergo breast reconstruction or if you volunteer to become part of a case study for its clinical trials. Saline implant is a good alternative, but it’s known to interfere with mammography and deflate almost immediately on rupture. So, what’s the choice? Well, there’s an excellent alternative available called gummy bear implant.

Gummy bear breast implant

Remember gummy bear? That rubbery-textured confectionery , in the form of little teddy bears, you used to enjoy as kids. No, they’re not being used as gummy breast fillers! Only the name has been borrowed for a special cohesive gel implant whose inner substance is similar in quality and consistency to gummy bear.
Breast Surgery

Implants

Why gummy breast implants prove better than silicone and saline implants is because they come with a new type of shell coating that’s less likely to cause inflammation and scarring in the surrounding breast tissue. They’re also designed to decrease wrinkling and maintain their shape and integrity, in case of leakage or rupture. Further, the gel filled in gummy implants doesn’t seep out, so if the shell fails, the gel won’t go anywhere, but stay in one place. And most importantly, cohesive gel implants feel like breast tissue, not a water balloon! According to plastic surgeons, this is the closest they’ve come to developing the perfect implant, in terms of durability, biocompatibility and natural shape.

The status on gummy bear breast augmentation

Those wanting for a gummy bear breast will have to wait a bit more. Experts in the field say it could be at least three to five years before any such product is offered in the US market, provided the FDA approves it.

Why clinical trials are taking so long is because not all plastic surgeons are sold on these new implants. Although, cohesive gel is a refinement of the current silicone implant, it’s harder than the usual silicone gel and therefore too dense for normal women. However, it’s perfect for reconstructive procedures, since this surgery requires both density and mass.

Other alternative breast implants

Like cohesive gel implants, there are certain other materials under study. Let’s see what they are:

a. Polyethylene glycol implant: This implant filler contains a patented blend of polyethylene glycol and saline that has the look and feel of silicone.

b. Titanium-coated implant: Hopes for indestructible implants have been raised by titanium-coated breast implants. Since, titanium is more biocompatible than stainless steel; it’s less likely to cause toxic or injurious reactions in the body. It also bonds well with silicone. The implants are coated with a thin layer of titanium and filled with silicone gel.

c. Hyaluronic acid: Like Botox and various other facial fillers, you may soon have an option to boost your breast size by hyaluronic acid injection. This acid is already being used to fill fine lines and wrinkles, and is a likely contender for temporary breast enhancement. This non-surgical procedure can be used to build up breast tissue and enhance the breast for a couple of years.

The future of alternative implants looks bright. Time is not far, when surgeons harvest your own fat through liposuction and stimulate it to grow to be used as breast filler! But, till then you can safely use what’s available in consultation with your plastic surgeon.

“For as long as I can remember, I wanted to have bigger breasts. As I grew older, my breasts did not increase in size despite my mother’s assurances that they would. So, I did a bit of research and opted for silicone breast augmentation”. Well, Nicole isn’t the only one to opt for this surgery, there are many like her who’d love to follow her footsteps, but not necessarily for the same reasons. Some common reasons for them may be to reshape and enlarge their breasts that have lost shape due to breast feeding or to balance the size of the breasts, if the two have taken different sizes. Whatever it may be, the decision to go in for breast augmentation for anyone is never physical appearance alone, it’s also the way one feels about oneself and one’s body from the inside.

What is silicone?
Breast Surgery

Implants

The material that means so much to women’s self-esteem certainly needs a closer look. Silicon, the second most abundant element on earth next to oxygen, is naturally found in sand, quartz and rock. When mixed with oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, silicon becomes silicone. Silicone can be molded into a variety of forms, like silicone gels and rubbers. And it’s not only employed in silicone breast implants, but also in facial implants, artificial joints, drainage systems, and the like.

Understanding silicone gel implants

Gone are the days when silicone gel breast implants had thick shells containing thick gels with a higher rate of rupture. Today, these thick shells have been successfully replaced with thinner ones. The ones currently in use are McGhan and Mentor silicone breast implants. McGhan and Mentor silicone implants have three layers of shell surrounding the implant to prevent ‘gel bleed’. Despite this, these implants still remain very soft and natural feeling. These shells come pre-filled and no gel needs to be added later on.

Safety of silicone breast implant

There is no doubt that silicone implants have been the most controversial. Some women claimed to get connective tissue disorders and other illnesses due to silicone breast implant and FDA banned these breast implants in 1992 for use by the general public.

Silicone breast implant problems may include:

a. Rupture and gel bleed resulting in silicone travelling to other parts of the body. Ruptured silicone implant occurs due to a split or hole in the shell of a breast implant caused by the weakness of material or as a result of damage to the implant. It should not be confused with gel bleed, in which low molecular weight components migrate through the intact implant shell.

b. Connective tissue disorders, in which the body reacts to its own tissue as though it was a foreign material, is said to be caused by silicone implants, but has not been proved conclusively.

c. Other problems, like immunological and neurological disorders, and the risk of silicone implant cancer.

Getting silicone breast implants

Although FDA has put a ban on silicone breast implants, you can still get them if you qualify the following conditions:

a. If your silicone breast implants, put previously, need a replacement.

b. If you need a lift and breast implant simultaneously.

c. If your skin is thin with small, hanging breasts.

d. If saline breast implants have caused rippling of the skin.

e. If there’s a severe asymmetry between the breasts.

f. If there are chest wall deformities.

The rider is you’ll have to enroll in a study and be willing to be followed for a period of five to ten years, if you want to get silicone implants!

The truth is you don’t need to go in for silicone breast implants for breast enlargement. Only if you’ve problems mentioned above should you go in for this and that too after consulting with your physician.