Breast implant

A breast implant is a technique used in cosmetic surgery to increase the size of a woman's (or a man's) breasts or to reconstruct the breast (for example, after a mastectomy). There are two main types of breast implants:

Saline-filled which have an external silicone shell and are filled with sterile saline liquid. These implants are currently the only ones available in the United States.
Silicone gel-filled which have an external silicone shell and are filled with silicone gel. They are not currently available for implant in the United States, but future regulation may change this. In the 60 countries outside the United States where silicone implants remain available, they are used in approximately 90% of implant operations.

A third, much less common type of implant is the String implant, which uses a polypropylene material as an implant. String implants are unique in that they cause the breast to perpetually expand after surgery, and are preferred by those women who choose to have the largest breasts possible. They are not currently available for implant in the United States, but future regulation may change this.

The health hazards of breast implants have been debated greatly in recent years. Some people believe that breast implants cause such illnesses as autoimmune disease, although bothe the AMA and FDA have found there to be no evidence of this. [1] However, documented problems with breast implants include rupture, deflation, infection, scarring and hardening of the implants. [2]

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation is the most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure on women in the United States. In 2002, 236,888 women in the United States underwent breast augmentation. [3] According to the National Institute for Women, one in four silicone implant recipients must undergo surgery, within 5 years, to correct implant problems.

See also: breast reconstruction

Breast implant

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