I want to get a breast augmentation - what information should I be looking for?

[Fer]

Saline vs silicone
Questions I should as the surgeon
Things I should know
Price

Thank you kindly for your help.

[finewine]

My gf will be getting silicone gel implants next month.  I looked into this same question and found no conclusive evidence (plus the consultant surgeon actually recommended a particular unit to us for texture and rupture resistance).

Last year, the Independent Review Group had a look at this issue and some of their conclusions were:

   1.  There is no histopathological or conclusive immunological evidence for an abnormal immune response to silicone from breast implants in tissue.
   2. There is no epidemiological evidence for any link between silicone gel breast implants and any established connective tissue disease. If there is a risk of connective tissue disease, it is too small to be quantified. The IRG cannot justify recommending further epidemiological studies to investigate this hypothesis.
   3. Good evidence for the existence of atypical connective tissue disease or undefined conditions, such as 'silicone poisoning' is lacking. It is possible that other conditions such as low grade chronic infection may account for some of the non-specific illnesses noted in some women with silicone gel breast implants.
   4. The overall biological response to silicone is consistent with conventional forms of response to foreign materials, rather than an unusual toxic reaction.
   5. There is no evidence that children of women with breast implants are at increased risk of connective tissue disease.
   6. The IRG recognised that there were issues such as the precise incidence of rupture where the scientific data were incomplete so that rigorous conclusions could not be drawn.

[Julie Marie]

The old silicone implants were like a liquid in a bag and leaking was a problem if the bag was ruptured. Today we have cohesive gel implants, often called Gummy Bear implants because that's what the contents feel like. You can puncture the bag and squeeze the gel out but as soon as you release the pressure the gel returns to the bag back its original shape.

They are a bit more expensive and, depending on the size, may require an incision under the breast for insertion.

The other consideration is where the implant will be located. The best location is partially under the chest muscle where the top half is under the muscle and the bottom half under the skin. It creates a very natural look and feel. I did the cohesive gel in this way and I'm very pleased with the results.

Julie

[Nero]

whatever you do, i would stay away from silicone. there's just too much controversy over the safety and you don't want to take chances with your health or breasts for that matter.