Type of breast implants

There are many different types of implants on the market. The most popular kind of implants are cohesive silicone implants (jelly berry) with textured surface. Well known suppliers of implants are Mentor, Inamed (MacGhan) and Nagor.

Different types of implants
Saline implants: Silicone shells containing a saline solution. Saline filled implants are more firm than implants filled with silicone and they can with time feel more splashy. The contents of prostheses will always leak through the shell in small portions and lubricate the surface of the prostheses. Because saline solution does not have a lubricating effect, the implants feels a little hard. Saline implants are inserted and is filled with saline solution through a pipe that is removed when the implant is filled with desirable amount, the pipe is removed and the valve is closed. This valve can sometimes leak.

Cohesive silicon implants: The latest silicone implants on the market are so called jelly berry. The contains a firmer gel of silicone which is not liquid. One can stick and cut them without the silicone leaking out. Form of the implant is kept.

This type of implants are anatomical drop shaped or round. The drop shaped implants can turn around and turn the flat surface out. These type of implants require a bigger incision and normally the are inserted through the breast fold. Advantages are that the implant is not folding. The implants are different hard. The American manufacturer of implants Mentor comes in three different lever of hardness. Cohesive I (Soft), Cohesive II (Regular), Cohesive III (hard).

Different prothese shells
Smooth implant shells: Characteristics for these are that they have a smooth shell. This is the absolute softest shell there are and can not be feel at all. Implants with smooth shell must be massaged every day so the capsule does not have any possibility to shrink and make the implant hard. This type of implants are seldom used today.

Textured implant shell: The implant shell has a raw, uneven surface with different sized pores. Connective tissue threads enclose more irregular. Because of this reduce the tendency to shrink. The risk of capsule contraction is minimal.

This type of implants does not need to massage or be inserted under the breast muscle. This type of implants are used very often in world. The advantage of this type of implant is that the risk of capsule contraction had lowered to less than 2%.

Different shapes of the implants

With different form of the implants make it possible to alter the shape of the breasts. This is for example good when the patient wants more volume on top of the breasts.

What size of implants should you choose?
Most of us whish to have a more proportional body. The size of the breasts are therefor an important factor when you choose to enlarge your breasts. Some women are concerned not to have too big breasts and others are concerned not to have too small breasts after a breast augmentation.

The risks of complication like capsule contraction rise if you choose to big implants If you have decided to have very big breast to what you have today, it is sometimes necessary to make augmentation in two steps just to lower the risk of complications. The sizes of the implants range from 100cc to 800cc. The most common size of implants are 300cc.

Remember, the bigger implants you choose the more heavier the are to carry and that can affect both neck and back in the long term. They can also over time sags and a new operation is necessary. (1cc is approximately 1 gram). Your body condition play an important role when choosing size of the implants.

Same size of implants can also look different on two different persons. You can calculate what volume you have on your breasts today and add the size of implants. Your height and the size of your chest have also importance. The bigger chest, the bigger implants are necessary to achieve same affect as a person with a smaller size of chest.

Bring always a before- and after picture you like. That facilities the communication considerably with the surgeon.

"Rice test"
There is a simple method to se how big the implants should be. Fill a thin stocking with rice. Put it into a sport-bra with desirable size.

Conversion Table:

If you should have the implant under your muscle, you should add 15%. You will not have exact value, but it gives you an idea how big it will be.

You can also try Inamodels 3-D application for breast enlargement on following address: http://www.lookingyourbest.com/inamodel/index.html

What kind of implants should you choose?
Aesthetically there are no differences between implants with fluid fillers. The teardrop shaped cohesive silicone implants can be placed above or below the muscle. With smooth implant shells the capsular contracture rate is high, even with sub muscular placement of the implant. A textured shell however, disorients the formation of fibrous tissues and makes it less prone to shrink.

This reduces the risk for capsular formation and the implants need not to be massaged or placed below the muscle. The sub muscular placement was chosen for implants with smooth shells to prevent for contracture but it has the disadvantage of displacing or flattens the implant when moving the arms, which can be very embarrassing. The muscle also tends to lift the implant into a higher position than wanted.

There is one major disadvantage with textured implants though and that is the palpability of edges and folds at light finger palpation on the skin. In approximately 10% these folds are visible and can only be prevented by sub muscular placement. Saline filled implants have more of these drawbacks than silicone implants have. This problem is not seen with cohesive spectroheliograph. (jelly berries)