Choosing the best type of breast implant is sometimes a complicated endeavor.  It isn’t like selecting a coat or a pair of pants where you need to purchase what it in style; rather, you need to purchase what will work best for your body type.  You may not end up using the same type of implants that your best friend used or even that your sister chose.  Each person’s body is different; therefore, the best breast implant for each person may be different.

Breast Implant Parts

Every breast implant has three main components:

• Shell:  This is the outside layer of the implant which is also sometimes called the lumen or the envelope.  Most shells have a single layer, or lumen; some implants, though, are called ‘double lumen’ implants because their shells are comprised of two layers.
• Filler:  This is the substance which is inserted into the shell.
• Patch:  The patch covers the whole through which the filler is inserted into the shell.

 

No matter what type of filler is used, all implants approved for use in the United States have shells that are made of silicone.  There are currently two types of implants in use in the United States:

• Silicone rubber shell implants with a saline filler (the saline filler is the same type of salt water solution used for other surgical purposes)
• Silicone rubber shell implants with a silicone gel filler (the gel is composed of silicone oil, cured large silicone, and other materials)

 

Saline vs. Silicone – The Best Breast Implant?

For 14 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had a ban on the usage of silicone implants.  This was due to a rash of lawsuits against silicone implant manufacturers in the early 1990’s.  The FDA took silicone implants off of the market in 1992 because of concerns about their safety.

However, after extensive testing and clinical studies, silicone implants were restored to the market in 2006.  The FDA made them available for use in women over the age of 22.

Now that silicone implants are again available, they may be the best breast implant for some women because they tend to look and feel more natural.  However, some women may still think that the best breast implant is the saline variety because it will fully dissolve into the body if ruptured; in other words, saline implants are the best for safety reasons.

In reality, the best breast implant is whichever one a woman and her surgeon choose.