Saline Implants

Manc

Hi everyone I'm two and a half years on from diagnosis and considering reconstruction. I'm not sure if due to radiotherapy i can have Implants but if I can it does seem easier option. Does anyone know if Saline Implants are safer than Silicone or do they have other health risks .Also are they in a Silicone Shell if so it seems still Silicone inside body I'm confused Thankyou .

exbrnxgrl

Hi,

Yes, as far as I know, saline implants have silicone shells. Please remember that the silicone used in implants today is not the runny silicone of yesterday. If cut/ruptured it is a cohesive gel that doesn’t run. The silicone used in the shell is solid, so will not run either. I hope this helps and all the best to you

Peacetoallcuzweneedit

With saline implants they are obviously filled with saline...so if there is a rupture your body absorbs the saline and typically no harm vs silicone if there is a rupture, silicone will hopefully "collect" in an area outside the implant membrane and stay in one place until a repair surgery can be scheduled. (if the rupture is caught- I know two women NOT with BC but with implants that have ruptures and it is not causing them problems so they just carry on) There are a lot of stories of women who correlate many of their physical (failing health) symptoms to silicone leaks from their implants. ( I have not experienced this) All implants carry a risk because they are medical devices or a foreign object placed in your body. With saline there can be bacteria/fungal growth around the valve area and they are known to have "less" of a life vs silicone.....~7-10years...vs silicone supposedly can last a life time ( manufacturer claims). Best recommendations/standards tell women that implants are not meant to last a lifetime and should be switched out BUT if you talk to plastic surgeons or some oncoplastic surgeons they will look at you like you have three heads and tell you "don't mess with them, and they are fine" - (you will have to decide which way you want to go here)

Some women state saline are harder and silicone feel like a "real" breast.... some women state they can hear the saline swish around....I've seen outcomes of both that look great...my outcome is pretty good with silicone but I still have the belt around my chest feeling...this was not really discussed before my surgery, and I even asked it.....to me it was logical that I would feel some kind of restriction because of the placement (sub pec) - placement of the implants can vary and come with pros and cons.

All surgeries carry risks - implants are associated with a specific lymphoma risk as well.... my plastic surgeon and I went back and forth about this. He said it was "unnecessary to worry about it" - I brought him the latest research article at the time and showed him his numbers were way off. I still had the implants placed. It seems to me this type of lymphoma (ALCL) is coming to light more recently (probably because of media coverage)...I had my implants placed two years ago, and I read the FDA meeting minutes regarding ALCL and implant safety in general and many of the research articles around lymphoma....at the time I posted about it, but no one seemed concerned. I see more posts about it now. It is a real risk, BUT it has been a real risk for a while now/years. The risk seems increased with textured silicone implants BUT again both smooth and textured do carry risks. We will see more diagnoses because there is more awareness and it is on provider's radars...so keep that in mind....implants have risks- anything in your body that is placed there - will have a risk..so you have to decide what risk is acceptable to you ....

exbrnxgrl

Please bear in mind that silicone implants, if ruptured, don’t leak as the silicone is a cohesive gel, not liquid as they were long ago. If you are worried about any silicone in your body, from either the shell or what the implant is filled with, then implants might not be the best choice for you. Have you looked at various flap procedures

Manc

Thankyou for your answers. exbrnxgrl I have considered other options but don't really want so much surgery. I'm a real worrier by nature and have been trying to just not Google or over think this but I find it hard. I had quite an aggressive cancer and am torn between just doing this or leaving well alone

Peacetoallcuzweneedit Thank you for your detailed response it was very good of you to take the time. I'm on waiting list for Implant so still researching its a bit decision i don't want to get wrong but I'm also trying to be rationale of how many ladies have Implants and are perfectly happy with them Thank for your help.

AnitaLouise

I had breast augmentation back in 1998. They were saline and placed under the muscle. They lasted for 19 years and looked just as new as the day they were put in. They felt natural.

If it wasn't for my implants, I would have missed my first BC back in 2003. I felt pain in both breasts at the time but was also going through perimenopause. My hormones were out of control. One day my left breast stopped hurting and I was in the shower and felt a lump. The size of a pea. I had a mammogram just 5 months before. It had to be performed by a special technique because I had implants. My surgeon said, if it wasn't for the implants, it would have been missed. The implants pushed it closer to the skin and when she performed the lumpectomy she didn't have to cut deep.

I hope this answers your questions in regards to the question of how many years implants need to be replaced. I don't know why the 10 year rule is even out there.

In 2017 the cancer came back in the same breast and I knew that since I had radiation that it would have to be removed. I opted for both and to have my nipples removed because it was ductal carcinoma. Since those ducts are attached to the nipples, I didn't want to take the chance of it developing on the good breast and I was advised by three BS that the chances were higher for it to occur in the good breast.

Now I have silicone and less than three years the right one has a rupture. Needs to be replaced and I don't like the idea of silicone seeping slowly into my body. I know that it takes much longer for silicone to leak out, where if it was saline, it goes flat almost immediately. Saline is the same Ph as the fluids in your body. Silicone is not recognized by your body. That is what bothers me.

I also have done months of research regarding ALCL (Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and one of the subtypes of T-cell lymphoma. An individual's risk of developing BIA-ALCL is considered to be low; however, this cancer is serious and can lead to death, especially if not treated promptly. In most patients, it is treated successfully with surgery to remove the implant and surrounding scar tissue, and in some patients, also treatment with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.) Since I'm 65 and had two breast cancers, this concerns me. I'm not getting any younger and have been through enough with the first and the second cancer.

My PS wants to just replace the one silicone with another. He also said that with saline that I could hear swishing when I move in certain ways. They would also be firmer and not as natural feeling as the silicone but, then again I'm 65.

What ever I decide I'm still waiting for my three dimensional nipple tattooing that was scheduled for May but canceled because of Covid. Now I had to cancel my appointment that was for last week and wait three months again. It took me 8 months to get an appointment with this girl because she comes highly recommended. Maybe nipples are overrated, LOL.

Remember one thing, everybody is different. None of us go through the same exact things. My only advice for you it to keep a positive attitude and get as many doctors opinions as possible. This way you can choose what is best for you.

Good luck to you and I hope that I make the right decision for me.

MinusTwo

Manc - have you talked to a plastic surgeon yet? I'd advise that you meet with at least two and take a list of questions. They should be able to let you touch & handle both kinds of implants. You want someone who does this regularly - like every day - so they are very experienced.

Edited to add that I have silicone - and yes the textured kind. I've had them since 2011 and have had no problems at all so I have no plans to have them removed. I have an ultrasound every two years to take a look and recently had a breast MRI. Everything is fine.