Silicone VS Saline

[kija31]

Ok wonderful ladies of JBI, I have been lurking on here for a long time and finally have set the date January 11th. At first I was dead set on silicone, but after much reading I am concidering changing my mind to saline. I just wonder how you weighed the risks of each and what made you decide. I am very muscular and small on top (wear padded 34A but mostly don"t fill) I am 125 lbs and 5'6. My surgeon said unders definately because of build.
Thanks so much!!! By the way I am totally starting to freak myself out. Especially the more I research. UUUGGGHHH

[ArickaRG]

i think both saline and silicone have there good and bad points one of the big reason i choose saline unders is it cost less by $1500 and with silicone you need to get MRI to check your implants every 2 years i was told the medical will not cover this. There are many reason i would have wanted silicone but just did not have all the extra money saved. I think that no choice is better than the other in the end.

[JaneDoe]

As Aricka said, there are pros and cons to both.

I chose silicone. Initially I was going to go with saline, because I didn't think I had a choice (My PS said you had to be 22 for silicone and I was 20). And I was okay with that because my mom's looked really good. However, my PS said that mine would look more "fake" than my moms because I am thinner and had less breast tissue.

The my PS called and said that even though I wasn't 22, because it was my first surgery and I was in good health, I was eligible for silicone.

Silicone felt softer and my PS said it would definitely give me a more natural look compared to saline.

The downside is that mine was 1000 more because of silicone - however, I don't think a breast augmentation is something worth skimping on as far as money.

The other downside to silicone is that it is harder to detect a leak or a tear if there is one. Where as saline, yo uwill find out rather quickly, a tear in silicone usually takes an MRI to detect.

However, I wanted to look that silicone could give me, so I wanted to pay the extra money.

It is your body and eveyone has a different look they are trying to achieve with different budgets and different bodies. The best thing to do is talk to you PS about it. Usually, they will be pretty honest about what your results should be with silicone vs saline (mine was very upfront).

HTH

[Juliet Foxtrot]

I too choose saline. And cost was a huge factor! (as well as the MRI every two years, but I hear they're trying to get this lifted)
I also liked the idea of smaller scars and saline being non-toxic and naturally absorbed into the body if ruptured/leaking.
Plus, I figured, Hubby's the only one that's gonna be feeling me up, so the more realistic feel wasn't a huge concern for me.

But seriously, I think cost is what ultimately made me choose salines. Then I just came up with a bunch of additional reasons to justify it trying not to sound cheap!
LOL

[lippydame86]

I chose saline just because I wasn't comfortable with silicone but this is JMO. I believe there are pros and cons to each. GL!

[picksydusst82]

Agree with the girls above- I just got to feel my girlfriends silicones (I got saline) andi was surprised how similiar they felt- however, this depends on how large you get them and how much fat/skin you had prior to the breast augmentation.

[kija31]

Thanks for your input. My PS would prefer silicone. It costs the same for both so money is not the issue. Does anyone know what the MRI cost is?

[kaylyn]

Checked with MRI centers in my area, it averages about $900 a breast.

[Brun3tt3Grl]

If you are concerned with the risks of silicone, ask about cohesive gel . . . Just as soft as regular silicone but has the gummie bear effect.

What happens when you slice open a gummie bear? Nothing, the insides stay inside! Thats what a cohesive gel implant does. Even if it ruptures, will never leak inside of you!

Can't speak to MRI's though, as here in canada, as long as it is prescibed by a practitioner it is covered under health care

XOXO
BG

[kyngster]

Originally Posted by Brun3tt3Grl

If you are concerned with the risks of silicone, ask about cohesive gel . . . Just as soft as regular silicone but has the gummie bear effect.

What happens when you slice open a gummie bear? Nothing, the insides stay inside! Thats what a cohesive gel implant does. Even if it ruptures, will never leak inside of you!

Can't speak to MRI's though, as here in canada, as long as it is prescibed by a practitioner it is covered under health care

XOXO
BG

Totally agree here. It's hard to even get approved for an MRI's for this reason in Canada, and if you get co-gels they literally are indestructable. (I thought all silicone implants were co-gels now??? but maybe not?) Anyways There are a lot of videos on youtube showing how silicone implants can be smashed with bats, run over by cars, cut in half and no leakage. Personally I chose silicone only because I want to be a full C and my ps said with saline i'd be able to see rippling. With silicone i'd get a much natural look and feel which is what i wanted. A friend of mine says she can feel a lot of rippling with her salines and is getting a re-do with silicone. I guess it's different for everyone. I initally wanted saline, but am 100% glad i am getting silicone now, regardless of cost! I don't wanna take a chance with a re-do! Good luck on whatever you choose! Regardless- they'll look GREAT!

[Ready4SomeBoobs]

I was adamantly against silicone when I first started researching. I did NOT want to have to have replacement surgeries if nothing was wrong and I did NOT want to pay out of pocket for MRIs every 2 years cause they are EXPENSIVE!! But after speaking to my PS I changed my mind LOL I have VERY little tissue on the right hand side and my PS told me that with that little amount of my own tissue the chances of feeling/seeing the implant were MUCH higher. And with the new silicone the chance of leak/rupture is crazy low! As the PP mentioned you can cut them in half and NOTHING comes out - you tube it there is a video of it on there - also my doctor said that he thinks within the next several years there will no longer be the advisement to get MRIs every two years because there is such little risk of rupture with the new ones. His wife has them and will only get an MRI if she notices something feeling off or right before the warranty runs out!

So I wanted to reduce the chances of seeing/feeling the implant and felt comfortable with taking the chances with the new cohesive gel implants...

Its really a personal decision but do your research and talk to your PS about the pros/cons of each

and
GOODLUCK!!!!!

[sexyangel]

My cousin chose Saline afraid of any rupture. I got silicone, but as the other girls said the new silicone has been proven to stay in its shape even if there is a rupture. My DR told me abt this lady that had 10 yrs with his silicone rupture and never knew, never had any symptoms. After a general check she was able to find out. But again, we ALL use silicone particles when we use hair products ie. gels, hairspray.. all those products have the same element from silicone.. and nothing has happened to anyone...

Anyhow, it is ur decision.. Think carefully, because is something that u will keep forever..

[Bellakitty]

I chose silicone because I liked the feel of the implant. During my consult I got to see/feel/try on both types, and silicone just felt so much better to me.

Like others have said, silicone was about $1000 more, but I didn't think this was a good place to skimp.

[ILTSOY05]

I was hard core saline when I first started showing real interest in a breast augmentation.. But after much reading, real life opinions, etc.. I chose silicone... and chose it for a number of reasons...

First.. my cousin had a breast augmentation and got saline.. Due to complications, she had to have 2 revisions done.. during the last revision she switched to silicone.. Having both, she was a great perspective on having both.. Her choice? Silicone all the way.. She said if she knew what she knows now, she would have just skipped saline altogether.. She liked how the implant felt, she had more peace of mind in regards to rupture... Just an overall calm with having sils...

Second.. the rupture rate. Basically, you better come at me with a butcher knife if you want this implant to rupture. Seriously... THAT is what is going to take to get this thing to be replaced.

Third.. they are prefilled with NO valve. Yes, a 'self sealing' valve may self seal, but how well? I liked the idea of no valve on silicone implants.

Fourth.. Feel.. I compared both implants.. IN a body and OUT of a body. The difference was significant.. I felt as though the silicone implant had more of a natural feel. I didnt like the saline implant I felt because it just honestly felt like a bag of water.

I dont not like saline, I just prefer silicone.. Other women are the opposite. Some dont like the what if's of silicone.. others dont like how much an MRI would cost to reveal a rupture.. Its all a personal choice.. But.. since you asked MHO.. Silicone, ALL THE WAY!

Here is a video on both implants.. HTH!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vFyAEgqJSw

[kija31]

Awesome!! I also wish you the "Breast Thanksgiving Ever" Good Luck.

[bluepurse]

i went with silicon. i heard that saline can have a rippliing effect and actually one of the women at the clinic had saline and just got silicon replacements because she had the ripples in her boobs. also silicon feel more natural and hangs better than sacks filled with fluid since they can maintain their form. i was also at first worried about leakage but i got the cohesive gel like what was stated earlier and it's like a gummy so it doesnt just rupture and leak into my body. plus i wasn't starting off with a lot of breast tissue and the doctor said that for my petite frame i really couldn't have pulled off saline without the rippling or having them look fake (i blushed a little...never thought i was petite) to give you a better idea for my stats im 5'5" 130lbs and i was a small A (maybe)

either way they'll be gorgeous!!!

[LadyPearl]

I definitely would go with silicone. As the other ladies have mentioned, the silicone rupture rate is almost zero. And if it were to rupture, it wouldn't go anywhere outside of the implant.

On another note, ALL of today's silicone implants are cohesive gel. If you did your research, you would know that the FDA took silicone implants off the market before because they were not cohesive. When they ruptured, they leaked out like honey as shown in the video in this thread. However, when the FDA put silicone implants back on the market, they were all cohesive gel implants.

If you are small and don't have much breast tissue, I would highly recommend silicone. You don't want rippling or hearing the water slosh around do you? Your choice. My doctor's wife had gotten saline at first and when the new silicone implants came out, she switched.

[j2508]

i was dead set on silicone until it came to costs...it was 1500 more...so i went with saline...plus i have a smaller incision and they were able to make my breast more proportion since they fill it inside of you...and i was unproportioned.

its also easy to see if you have ruptured one..obviously...you willl have a flat boob lol

my doctor also said that cohesive gels weigh more than saline and would make me sag in the long run...i dont know how silicone girls feel about that, or if its entirely true but the cohesive gels did feel heavier.

my boyfriend is the only one feeling on my boobs and as far as hes concerned they 'work' for him lol....men dont really care lol boobs are boobs...hard/soft/floppy/they still like em...personally i think they feel just fine...they are softening everyday with the massage

good luck on your choice!, i know it can be frustrating!!

[j2508]

Originally Posted by LadyPearl

I definitely would go with silicone. As the other ladies have mentioned, the silicone rupture rate is almost zero. And if it were to rupture, it wouldn't go anywhere outside of the implant.

On another note, ALL of today's silicone implants are cohesive gel. If you did your research, you would know that the FDA took silicone implants off the market before because they were not cohesive. When they ruptured, they leaked out like honey as shown in the video in this thread. However, when the FDA put silicone implants back on the market, they were all cohesive gel implants.

If you are small and don't have much breast tissue, I would highly recommend silicone. You don't want rippling or hearing the water slosh around do you? Your choice. My doctor's wife had gotten saline at first and when the new silicone implants came out, she switched.

i can hear the water slosh sound on one side..my doc said it would go away eventually..my boyfriend cant hear it but i can feel it/hear it...it doesnt bother me though...i mean it is a fake implant lol.

[mayb38dd]

I am making this decision too and though I have wavered back and forth, at this point I like saline. I like saline because I am a worry wort and having silicone in me(though I would get the silicone gummys) would make me nervous so I'd be adding $1000 every 2 years for a MRI to my BAcost. Also the increased rate of cc w/silicone over saline is a deterrent (again, worrywart)...though as someone pointed out, this can be a doctor issue too, and there are doctors that have much lower rates of patients w/capsular contracture, so theres another thing to research on your doc.

*******
heres a lil info on cc since i'm bringing it up..
1.
Learn how to massage your breast every day to soften scar tissue. Stop smoking, which is a major risk factor for capsular contracture. Maintain good general health to further reduce risks.
2.
Ask your surgeon whether you should take vitamin E daily in higher doses. Vitamin E is believed to promote healing of tissues and to soften scar tissue. Discuss how sanitary conditions in the operating room might affect risks of capsular contracture.
3.
An asthma medication such as zafirlukast twice a day for six months, with your doctor's permission can block the production of substances that contribute to inflammation and the formation of scar tissue. (*that seems kinda spooky to me*)
4.
Consider wearing a compression garment or bandage over the breast to prevent the formation of hard scar tissue.
5.
Discuss with your surgeon the advantages of submuscular placement of the implant, as well a smooth versus textured implants. Nipple incisions have a higher risk of bacterial infection
#
The highest risk of contracture is when textured silicone breast implants are placed over the muscle underlying the breast through a small incision in the nipple.The lowest risk is the use of smooth saline implants positioned under the muscle through an incision in the lower breast.
*******

I have a lot of tissue to start with, so I feel I am a good contestant for saline. The possible rippling and harder feel of the implant I'm hoping will be masked well by my "befores". I don't think I'll go outrageous with size(like I was thinking initially), so the $100 insurance deal for saline refills seems like a deal too. If I was starting with an A though, for look and feel, I'd prolly go with silicone.