- General Information about Breast Augmentation
- Feel the Difference Campaign from Mentor
- Photographs of breast augmentation
- Six Decisions to Make Before Breast Augmentation Surgery
- Gummy Bear Implant Video
- Recovery After Breast Augmentation
- How is a breast augmentation done?
- Risks and Complications of Breast Augmentation
- Deciding about the best incision to use for breast augmentation
- Position of breast implants, above or below the pectoral muscle?
- What Size Of Implant To Use
- Recommended Bra SPORTEZE® Minimal Bounce Bra
- Materials Used for Breast Enlargement
- Concerns about PIP gel silicone implants
- Silicone Gel Breast Implants
- Breast Implants & Lymphoma
- Textured Implants For Breast Augmentation
- How much of a breast implant is covered by the pectoral muscle?
- Sample breast augmentation permit
- Breast implant shape: the round and teardrop implant
- FDA news release 2011
- Silicone Gel Implant Rupture
- FAQs about breast augmentation
- Breast Implants and Suicide Risk
- Capsular Contracture After Breast Augmentation
- Infection After Breast Augmentation
- Breast milk in women who have breast implants
- Health risk to the children of women with breast implants
- Mondor's Disease After Breast Augmentation
- Breast Implant Key Events Timeline
Many materials have been used to enlarge the breast. Most have fallen into disuse and implants remain the method of choice for breast augmentation.
• The most common method is the use of implants. These have been used since the early 1960s. An early implant was made of silicone and introduced in 1964. Silicone gel implants are the "gold standard" by which other methods are judged. They feel more natural, and are less likely to ripple or wrinkle than saline implants. Although they have the problems of any implant such as capsular formation, the association with autoimmune illness has not been confirmed by long term studies.
The three main differences between saline implants and silicone gel implants are:
• gel implants feel more natural
• saline implants are more likely to break or leak from the valve
• saline implants have more wrinkling
ASPS video about the return of breast implants (2006)
(opens in new window or page)
Silicone gel implants are now freely available around the globe. They were available outside the United States for many years. New gel implants were re-introduced to the United States after extensive research in late 2006. These new implants are sometimes called a “gummy bear” implant. The manufacturer uses this term because the gel is solid and behaves like a “gummy bear” when cut.
Timeline of events for breast implants
Both saline implants and gel implants can have a smooth or textured surface.
• Silicone and paraffin were injected directly into the breast. This method is no longer used because of the high risk of complications, such as granulomas, loss of skin and excess scar formation. Many women who had these injections developed very misshapen breasts .Polyacrylamide gel (PAAG) injections for “breast augmentation without surgery” is prohibited in most countries. It can cause irreversible damage to the breast and complex debridement procedures or even mastectomy.
• Injections of the patients own tissue such as fat, muscle, omentum, lipomas and skin-fat grafts have all been used to enlarge the breast. Unfortunately the results are unpredictable. Scarring and irregularity are a problem but more significant is the development of microcalcifications that make mammography less reliable.
• Various non-surgical methods such as breast creams and suction pumps have also been used. The results are unreliable. In the case of the pump, although some increase may be noticed its use is cumbersome and the long term effects unknown.
Breast Implants: Everything You Need to Know
Nancy Bruning
Alternative names: silicone, paraffin, fat graft, suction pump, breast cream, saline implant, gel implant, gummy bear, textured implant, smooth implant, augmentation mammoplasty, augmentation mammaplasty, breast enhancement, breast enlargement, breast augmentation, BAM.
