Over the years, I have heard quite a few questions from my patients about breast augmentation myths. I am posting some of the common myths I have discussed with many of my patients.
1. High profile implants will give me a fuller upper chest.
Given a certain volume of breast implants you have selected, a higher profile implant (more projection) will have a narrower base than a lower profile implant. Therefore, if we keep the breast crease location unchanged, the wider diameter (and hence the lower profile) implant will fill up the upper chest more.
2. You need to change your implants every x years.
This advice was given with the previous generation implants years ago, when the implants generally had thinner shells and lower cohesiveness. MRI scan were also not as advanced. In order to avoid rupture of the implants, some plastic surgeons recommended prophylactic replacement of implants every so many years. A lot has changed with the current generation of implants. The shell is stronger, the silicone gel is much more cohesive and the MRI resolution is down to millimeter range. In addition, the implants are generally warrantied for a lifetime against rupture. For these reasons, I generally do not recommend my patients replace implants unless they want to change implant material (silicone vs. saline) or sizes, or some revision of capsule is needed.
3. Saline implants are safer than silicone implants.
Earlier silicone implants did have their shares of problems, including higher rupture rate and more gel bleed. In the polyurethane implants, it is known that the envelope can delaminate. However, they were not found to cause rheumatoid disease, fibromyalgia, etc. Following an absence from the US market for twenty some years, silicone implants were allowed to re-enter the markets after extensive studies. Vast majority of plastic surgeons as well as the FDA feel silicone implants are as safe as saline implants. Silicone implants are gaining momentum. Most people who have seen and felt silicone implants prefer them to saline implants. They also have less change of rippling. When presented with both types of implants, I have found my patients prefer silicone implants by a margin of 4:1.
These are some of the breast augmentation myths I would like to share with you. I welcome you to bring along questions you may have.
