Breast Implant Types: Choosing the Best For You
Posted May 08, 2025 in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implant Replacement, Breast Implants, Breast Lift, Breast Revision, Breast Sagging, Uncategorized
By Dr. Chris Patronella
I would like to talk to you today about the different implant types. It can be very confusing to manage the vast array of implants that we have available for breast augmentation. It can be a saline implant or a silicone implant. There are various profiles to consider, everything from a low profile to a super high profile. And then there are also are varieties of silicone gels, with softer and firmer options available depending upon the look and feel a woman desires.
This is a decision that we make together because I really want to know exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a more natural result, then I’m going to guide you to an implant that has a little softer gel. If you’re looking for a more dramatic change with greater fullness of the implant in the upper part of the breast, then I’m going to be more inclined to go with a higher profile implant with a firmer gel. So I’m going to go through a few of these and help you understand how to navigate the different types of implants.
Saline Breast Implants
The first decision is if we are going to go with a saline implant. Through an attached tube, we fill the implant up up in the operating room, and then we take the tube out. Saline is the simplest of all implants. I would say about 20% of patients select a saline implant.
What if your saline breast implant leaks?
A saline breast implant has a silicone shell filled with salt water, which is innocuous to the body, so if it leaks, the fluid is absorbed by your body and excreted through the kidneys. And it does no harm. The ruptured implant could then be exchanged for a new implant. In probably 5 to 10% of patients, within 10 to 15 years, there’s going to be a leak of an implant. It’s not an emergency, but it’s something we’ve learned to take care of to expedite that care.
Disadvantage of a Saline Implant
The disadvantage of a saline implant is it ripples a little more than a silicone implant. So in a thin person, for instance, someone who doesn’t have a lot of breast tissue and/or fatty tissue to camouflage the implant, it’s probably not the best choice because it is more likely to be palpable and visible along the edges under the skin.
Having said that, a saline implant can be a good alternative in some circumstances. An example of this would be a woman for whom I’m performing a breast lift who doesn’t want a large implant but desires a little fullness at the top of her breast, and she has enough tissue to camouflage a saline implant. I think a small saline implant in someone like that works extremely well. So well, in fact, that it would be difficult for me to detect whether the implant is saline or silicone from an appearance standpoint.
Silicone Breast Implants
Implant Profiles
Silicone breast implants have several profiles. We could go with a medium profile implant, which is a little wider than an implant with a higher profile of the same size. How is that an advantage? The higher profile implant is going to give more fullness at the top. The medium profile implant is going to give you a more natural effect, where it’s sometimes hard to tell that you’ve had an augmentation.
There’s even an extra high profile implant. An indication for this profile would be a woman who really wants dramatic upper pole fullness,and demarcation of the implant so that you can actually tell that there is an implant there. That would be the person who is interested in an extra high profile implant.
A high profile implant is a very useful implant for a woman who wants implants above 400 cc’s because, frankly, the same 400 cc size with a medium profile would be too wide for most women. So to summarize:
Medium profile = the most natural results
High Profile = a little less natural but some upper pole fullness; the choice for women want above 400 cc’s
Silicone Gel Types
Within the category of silicone gel implants, one manufacturer offers different types of gel.
- Responsive
The softest of all is the “Responsive” gel implant. It’s very easy to squeeze. It feels very natural. It’s the most natural of the implant line at Allergan. - SoftTouch”
There’s another type called “SoftTouch”, which is a medium gel. And, as demonstrated in the video, it’s a little firmer—a bit harder to squeeze compared to the “Responsive.” The “SoftTouch” implant is very useful for a balance between the three gels—the third being the “Cohesive,” The “SoftTouch is soft, yet rippling is reasonably uncommon. - Cohesive
The “Cohesive” silicone implant, commonly referred to as a “Gummy Bear Implant,” is the firmest of the three gel types in this Allergan line. It has a little more tension when you squeeze it and the least amount of rippling compared to the others. It’s a little more visible to the eye and firmer to the touch.
Once I know a patient’s goals, I can guide her toward the implant that most closely fits the outcome she desires.
The Motiva Implant
And then finally, we have the Motive implant, which is relatively new to us in the United States, but it’s been used in Europe and in South America for over a decade. The Motiva is turning out to be a really nice implant. Like the other previously discussed options, Motiva has low, medium, and high profiles implants with soft and firm gel options. The round implant is the firmer gel, while the ergonomic-shaped implant is the softer gel.
The advantage of the Motive implant is that the capsular contracture rate appears to be very low according to the data that we see in the literature from Europe and South America. And so we’re excited about being able to use this implant in the United States and are finding that more and more women are selecting this implant as we go forward.
Schedule a Consultation to Determine The Best Implant for You
So this is a gamut of the implants that we have, and there are many others like this. I hope this brief overview has been helpful in navigating the options, and I can give you a lot more information when I see you in person and understand what your goals are. If you had more questions feel free to contact us, and I’d be delighted to meet you and answer your questions through an in-office consultation and/or a preliminary educational video meeting which is followed by an in-office consultation to confirm and refine the best plan for you.
