Types of Breast Implants

There are many types of breast implants available. Should you get teardrop or round, textured or smooth, silicone or saline implants? Should your breast implants be submuscular or subglandular?  Are high profile or standard profile breast implants best?

Women no longer need to keep the size and shape of breasts that they have naturally.  It is now possible for a women to choose the size and shape of her bust, and breast augmentation using various types of implants has become immensely popular.

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There is more choice when it comes to getting breast implants than you probably realise.  It is very useful to have a good idea of what the pro's and con's are for each type of breast implant before you begin your consultation with your cosmetic surgeon.  You should also not be afraid to make your requirements very clear to your surgeon, it is your body, after all.  This is certainly not to say that you should ignore any advice that your surgeon gives about your breast implants.

Some Types of Breast Implants

Teardrop/Anatomical Breast Implants vs. Round Implants

Textured Breast Implants vs. Smooth Implants

High Profile Breast Implants or Standard Profile Implants?

Breast Lift with Implants

Submuscular Breast Implants vs. Subglandular Implants

Silicone or Saline Breast Implants?

Teardrop/Anatomical Breast Implants vs. Round Implants

Probably one of the first decisions you will want to make about the type of breast implants is what shape they should be.  Basically you have two choices, here, between Teardrop-shaped implants, also known as anatomical breast implants, or round ones.

Teardrop implants are much more natural-looking than the round type of implants.  They are a slight teardrop shape, hence the name, which makes this type of implant look more anatomically-correct.  The round type of implant are more obviously fake, but are undeniably popular.

There is no right or wrong choice between teardrop and round breast implants, it simply comes down to personal preference.  But knowing which type you prefer before your consultation with the plastic surgeon is very beneficial.

Textured Breast Implants vs. Smooth

The debate about whether Textured Breast Implants are better than smooth ones has been going on for years.  Unfortunately, it is no closer to a conclusion, as both types of implants have their benefits and drawbacks.

The idea behind textured implants was that the textured surface prevent breast tissue growing on and around the implant, thus reducing the incidence of capsular contracture, or hardening of the breast.  An added benefit for both the surgeon and the patient is that a textured breast implant holds it in place better, making it easier for the surgeon to create the desired shape of breast.  One disadvantage, for the patient, is that the textured surface of the implant can cause discomfort to the surrounding breast tissue, while also there is an increased risk of breast rippling, or wrinkles, if the breast tissue pulls on the implant.

The smooth breast implant, on the other hand, is generally believed to last longer, being less prone to rupture, but there is an increased risk of capsular contracture.

High Profile Breast Implants or Standard Profile?

A High Profile breast implant has the same volume as its standard profile equivalent.  The difference lies in the size of the base of the breast implant, and therefore the projection of breast.

The traditional, standard type of breast implants have a more natural proportion, in the view of many women.  However, maintaining the proportions means that women with a smaller frame had to have smaller breast implant sizes, as they could not physically accommodate the larger implants, due to the size of the base.

In the early 1990's, a high profile breast implant was developed, which has allowed women with a much smaller body have implants with a much larger volume than was previously possible with the standard type.

Again, the choice between standard and high profile breast implants is a personal decision.

Breast Lift with Implants

It is important to understand that if your breasts are sagging, then implants alone will not treat this problem.  Breast Lift surgery is really the solution, here. That said, if you would like to combine a breast lift with implants, then that is certainly an option, and one which a great many women decide on.

One thing to be aware of is that combining a breast lift with implants is that it is a more complicated procedure.  This is not to say that there are not many, many, highly skilled cosmetic breast surgeons providing this procedure every day, who are very experienced and qualified.  But due to the complexity of the surgery, there is a greater chance of the results of your breast surgery not being what you wanted.  For this reason, you should make doubly-sure of your surgeon's credentials.

Submuscular Breast Implants vs. Subglandular Implants

All early breast implants were subglandular.  It was easier to place the implants above the muscle, so it just seemed more logical.  Unfortunately, as the breast implant shells became softer and lighter, it was clear that there were becoming a large number of cases where the implant had ruptured, leaking the contents and ultimately causing capsular contracture, where the breast hardens as a response to the leakage.

It was realised that by placing the breast implant underneath the muscle, the chances of capsular contracture were minimised, and so submuscular breast implants became the norm.

Then, when the FDA in America put a moratorium on the use of Silicone Gel for breast implants, saline implants were the replacement technology.  Because saline implants did not pose the same risk of capsular contracture as the old-style silicone implants, many breast surgeons reverted to subglandular implants.  It turned out they were right, no significantly greater risk was identified, whether the breast implant was submuscular or subglandular.

The moratorium on silicone breast implants has since been lifted by the FDA, due to new developments from the industry, which have made silicone implants much safer, by using cohesive gel silicone, instead of liquid silicone.

Nowadays, there really isn't any substantial difference in safety or results, whether you choose submuscular or subglandular implants.   

Silicone or Saline Breast Implants?

Now that Silicone implants are back in use (the concerns about them causing autoimmune diseases and even cancer having proved unfounded), we are left with a decision of whether to choose silicone or saline-filled breast implants.

Cohesive Silicone Gel implants do not have the safety concerns that liquid silicone implants had, but there are other factors.

Silicone Gel Breast Implants look and feel more natural than their saline counterparts, and are generally regarded as superior.  On the downside, they must be implanted pre-filled, and so the incisions for the implantation must be larger, resulting in more scarring.  Also, because they are inserted pre-filled, there is not the scope for the surgeon to make adjustments to the implant, once it is placed.

Both types of breast implants have their benefits and disadvantages, so the best advice is to discuss these with your cosmetic breast surgeon, making sure that you see some photographs of his previous patients.