Update on Breast Implants - New York City
June 2006

We have been using both silicone and saline implants for breast augmentation for the last ten years, but the FDA has had restrictions on silicone implants. Silicone implants can be used together with a breast lift or to revise a previous breast augmentation. But, at the moment, a woman who has not had previous breast surgery and needs just a breast augmentation, cannot have silicone implants.

This is about to change, probably in the next few months. The FDA has started to take steps which, I believe, will lead to the unrestricted availability of silicone implants for all women who want a breast augmentation. This will bring the United States in line with Europe and Latin America where silicone implants are commonly used for breast augmentation.

The truth is that both saline implants and silicone implants are safe for breast augmentation surgery. We have a very useful book on this subject that we give patients. The book was written by the previous editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.

I individualize the choice of implant for each patient who is having breast augmentation surgery based on anatomy, tissue characteristics, and the patient's goals. And it will be great to be able to make the best choice freely for each woman when the new FDA ruling comes into effect.

Aside from the regulatory issues, there is also good news about the improved safety of new "third generation" breast implants. The shells or envelopes of the new implants are better. This means that new implants are significantly less likely to leak. This is true both for saline and silicone implants.

The other important advance is that new silicone implants are filled with "cohesive" (that is to say compact and adherent) silicone gel. This new cohesive gel is not "runny" and stays in place even if the implant leaks.

Call us if you have any questions about breast augmentation implants.