BREAST IMPLANTS 101
Dr. Patti Flint believes that your breast augmentation results should look and feel completely natural. In her nearly 20 years of experience performing breast augmentation, she has come to prefer round silicone gel implants and uses them almost exclusively.
Learn why bigger isn’t always better with breast implant.
Selecting the appropriate implant size and profile for your body is important not only for beautiful results, but also for your safety. At your consultation, Dr. Flint will listen to what breast size you have in mind, evaluate your breast tissue, take measurements, and discuss your activity level. Her priority is to achieve a safe, natural looking breast augmentation that enhances your confidence and fits comfortably into your lifestyle.
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Silicone Implants
Round silicone gel implants offer a natural look and feel. With dramatic improvements in breast implant design and technology over the last decade, round silicone gel implants are currently the best option, in Dr. Flint’s opinion, for a number of reasons:
1. Very natural look and soft, realistic feel
2. Lower incidence of rippling than saline
3. Exceptional durability and very low rupture rates
4. Excellent record of safety and patient satisfaction
In comparison to saline or shaped silicone, both of which can feel too firm, silicone gel implants allow the breast to move naturally. Silicone is also much less likely to result in visible rippling and palpable edges than saline.
NO ‘GUMMY BEAR’ IMPLANTS
With all the media hype surrounding shaped silicone “gummy bear” implants, patients often are under the impression that these implants are somehow “better” than round silicone gel and that most breast augmentations these days are done using shaped silicone implants.
Neither is true. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, only 12% of silicone implants placed by board certified plastic surgeons in the U.S. during 2015 were shaped implants—the remaining 88% were round silicone gel. Moreover, studies show that shaped implants offer no aesthetic benefit over round silicone.
Given that they have a firmer consistency, lack the natural softness of silicone gel, require a larger incision to place, and are more expensive, Dr. Flint sees no advantage in using shaped implants over round silicone implants, which offer tried-and-true safety and beautiful results.
SAFETY
A common misconception is that breast implants have to be replaced every ten years. While breast implants are not lifetime devices, currently available performance data suggest that the vast majority of implants last longer than ten years. The thick, cohesive gel will not ooze out into surrounding tissues in the rare event that the shell ruptures.
Most importantly, it was proven years ago that silicone implants do not result in a higher rate of disease processes in women compared to those with saline implants. Having breast implants, especially if they are placed submuscularly, will not interfere with the accuracy of mammograms, either.
Dr. Flint further ensures the safety of breast augmentation by choosing an appropriate size implant for a patient’s anatomy.