Silicone or saline?

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tjh
tjh Member Posts: 469
edited July 2015 in Breast Reconstruction

I am scheduled for reconstruction August 12. I had a left mastectomy on March 26 with TE placed at that time. Also had a lift done on right, that one will not have implant, I want the left to match it as closely as possible. Now i need to decide saline or silicone. What are your experiences?

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2015

    Hi tjh,

    We're sure you'll get lots of great responses here soon from the other helpful members of the board. In the meantime, you may be interested in checking out the main Breastcancer.org site's page on Implant Reconstruction -- scroll down about halfway down to the section called saline vs silicone.

    We hope this helps!

    --The Mods

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  • jessica749
    jessica749 Member Posts: 429
    edited July 2015

    I got saline just because I wanted to know if there was a rupture down the line and didn't want to be beholden to MRIs in the future. After all that was part of the reason why I did a BMX/CPM--not to be beholden to MRIs, among other things. (I understood from my PS that silicon implants would need MRI monitoring every so often to make sure no leaking. Saline, I was told, didn't need that because any leakage is readily / visibly apparent. So that sealed it for me.) FWIW, silicon/tear drop shape supposedly a more natural look. To me, mine are fake, and gradation of fake just didn't matter to me.

    Individual choice. Good luck

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  • angelia50
    angelia50 Member Posts: 381
    edited July 2015

    I have silicone. I chose it because from what I read, it is lighter and feels more natural. I see some ladies say their implant feels heavy and I don't notice mine does. After all the past problems with silicone, supposedly, And I say supposedly, they have them now so that they don't leak out, they are more of a gel.

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited July 2015
    Yes, you are correct. The silicone currently used in implants are cohesive gels, not the runny stuff of days past. Think of it like jello. If you slice it, it doesn't run. The outer shell of most implants, saline or silicone, are made of silicone.
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  • jessica749
    jessica749 Member Posts: 429
    edited July 2015

    I didn't mean to say falsely that silicone will "leak" out. Let's just call it a 'rupture', or let's just say even more simply as below FDA and Mayo clinic sites state, MRI surveillance every few years is recommended, and what my PS said. That's all I remember: with silicone implants came medical advice to get an MRI every so often to check for something that didn't need checking with sailine....again, part of my reasoning in doing BMX (cpm) was to be rid of the breast monitoring as much as possible. Different strokes for different folks !

    See below:

    "Keep in mind that breast implants aren't guaranteed to last a lifetime. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration recommends routine MRI scans to detect silent ruptures in silicone breast implants — starting three years after the implants are inserted and repeated every two years after that. Discuss this surveillance option with your plastic surgeon and decide what's right for you."

    from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens...

    and:

    MRI continues to be an effective method of detecting silent rupture of silicone gel-filled breast implants. If you have silicone gel-filled breast implants, the FDA recommends that you receive MRI screening for silent rupture 3 years after receiving your implant and every 2 years after that.

    http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedic...



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  • Delilahbear
    Delilahbear Member Posts: 466
    edited July 2015

    I have had saline implants for 5 1/2 years. Only thing my PS used at the time I had my surgery. First set I disliked as they were too narrow for my chest and then went with the Moderate Profile Plus and they are expanded to 960cc each. They have been in and out several times for reconstruction surgery and one did develop a leak which was visible. I have not had any surgery on them for 2 years and they are fine and feel fine. Yes they are a little more firm than silicone, but I am happy with them as is my hubby.

    Ultimately the choice is yours.


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