Saline vs. Silicone Breast Implants
William Bruno, M.D.

Patients are always asking about the differences between saline and silicone, which one is better and which one is safer. I will start out by saying that they are both safe and FDA approved. There has never been any study to suggest that either saline or silicone breast implants cause breast cancer or any health problems. In the US, silicone breast implants were restricted from 1992 until 2006 because there was a concern at that time that ruptured silicone implants were causing women to become ill. After approximately 15 years of studying silicone implants and the women who had them, breast implants have been determined safe. There is no scientfice evidence linking silicone implants (even ruptured implants) to any medical illness or disease. Furthermore, the newer generation silicone breast implants have lower rupture rates when compared to saline breast implants. This improved longevity of silicone implants has led to fewer reoperations and revisions.

Last night I attended a presentation on silicone breast implants, in particular, related to the effects of silicone implants in the human body and the cause of scar tissue around implants (capsular contracture). One of the lecturers was a PhD in toxicology who has studied silicone devices (including breast implants) for over 20 years. He gave some interesting facts regarding silicone in general. He explained that we are exposed to significant amounts of silicone in our everyday lives, through the use of toothpaste, hairsprays, deodorants, skin lotions and sunblocks. The amount of silicone that our body absorbs from these products far exceeds the silicone that a patient could ever absorb from a breast implant.

The conclusion is that silicone, whether it's in a breast implant or a sunblock, is safe when exposed to the human body and causes no medical illnesses. There is a lot of scientific evidence to support this, not just for breast implants, but for many other silicone medical devices.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding silicone breast implants.

Best wishes,

Dr. Bruno