More Information on Silicone Breast Implants

Materials

Silicone is used not only in breast implants but also in implants used in many other parts of the body. It has been used to construct heart valves and other cardio-vascular prostheses; to fashion catheters which are used for purposes ranging from drug delivery to cardiac monitoring; in dentistry; in the gastrointestinal tract; as a facilitator for nerve regeneration; in ophthalmology; in the ear, nose, throat, and respiratory tract; as a prosthesis or ingredient in prostheses for many parts of the skeletal system; as a tissue expander; in the urogenital tract, including penile prostheses; and in many other applications.

Silicon is the second most abundant element on earth, next to oxygen. Silicones are actually a family of chemical compounds. They are made of silicon, which is a naturally occurring element found in sand, quartz, and rock (and computer chips - think "Silicon Valley"). When silicon is mixed with oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, it becomes silicone. Silicone can be made in a variety of forms. Low molecular weight silicones form oils. Middle molecular weight forms gels, and high molecular weight forms elastomers and rubbers.

The silicone gel breast implants used currently are not the same as those used in the past. The early silicone gel breast implants had thick shells containing thick gels. These thick shells were replaced in the 70's and 80's with thinner shells. These shells had a higher rate of rupture.

Currently, Mentor and Inamed silicone implants have 3 layers of shell surrounding the implant. This reduces the amount of so-called gel bleed. However, the number of layers in the implant shell has no actual bearing on the integrity of the implant. The key factor is the chemical make-up of the shell wall, the strength of the material, and the optimal total thickness of the shell. Current implant shell walls are consistently strong with excellent impermeability so they have a low rate of "gel bleed."

Silicone gel breast implants come pre-filled, meaning that there is no fluid or material to be added during the implantation surgery. The only real drawback to a pre-filled implant is that the incision will have to be a bit longer. This is especially true for textured silicone, which is a somewhat firmer than the smooth silicone, due to the thickness of the shell. Another reason that textured silicone requires a longer incision is the fact that the shell is textured.

History

Silicone breast implants were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for general usage in November 2006. They may be used on any woman aged 22 and older for both cosmetic breast augmentation and breast reconstruction. The plastic surgeon must be certified to use silicone implants by undergoing specialized training. Our plastic surgeon at Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery is fully certified to implant silicone gel breast implants.

Prior to their approval, there were concerns that silicone breast implants might cause auto-immune diseases such as arthritis or lupus. Many years of study have not found a link between silicone breast implants and these sorts of diseases.

Information courtesy of the National Library of Medicine and LookingYourBest.com

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Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery is located in Los Angeles, California. Our Los Angeles plastic surgeon provides breast augmentation with saline breast implants and silicone breast implants, examples of which can be seen in our before and after breast augmentation photos. For more information about breast implants in Los Angeles, or breast augmentation financing, please contact us.