Many breast implant manufacturers offer round silicone gel breast implants with varying gel firmness and shape retention. Patients coming to a consultation with Dr. Andrade are always told about these different options, given samples of these different implants to actually hold and manipulate, then we discuss how they might affect the final breast shape.
Consultation and Considerations for Breast Implant Gel
During the consult when we show our patients implants with different gel fill, it is immediately obvious that those with softer, more pliable gel do not hold their shape as much as implants with thick, highly cohesive gel. The latter implants hold their roundness better, which is easily seen if the implants are held vertically, positioned as they would be in a standing patient. There also is less rippling of the outer shell. Based on the appearance and feel of these implants, one would expect implants with less thick gel to look more “natural” or “teardrop” shaped in the body, and those with thick, highly cohesive gel to hold their shape more, yielding a “rounder”, more “augmented” look.
However, there is a lack of high-quality research actually proving that the thickness of breast implant gel dramatically changes the final appearance of the breasts. Many studies are based on the surgeon’s anecdotal experience, or case series without appropriate controls. Once implants are actually inserted into a patient and covered by a layer of tissue, differences in their structure may not be as apparent. In addition, there is a misconception that highly cohesive implants hold their shape so well that there is no risk of seeing implant rippling through the skin. However, this is not the case. All breast implants have the risk of rippling or palpable folds, because any implant designed so firm as to completely prevent rippling would likely feel hard and unnatural in the body. Implants must be able to change shape and move within the breasts, otherwise they would be very uncomfortable with certain body movements (for example, when moving the arms in front of the breasts). Although different gel fill options are welcomed by surgeons and their patients, it is important to note that their effect on the cosmetic result could be subtle.
Additional resources for patients considering breast implants
In summary, there are several options for breast implant gel thickness, to be discussed during the consultation along with the many other implant attributes including the manufacturer, implant size, shape, texture, and silicone versus saline inner filling. Dr. Andrade always does a thorough in-person consultation and all of these implant attributes are reviewed. In addition, he is among the few surgeons to have created a unique online breast implant gallery that sorts breast implant photos by the size of the implants. He provides other details about the implants described in each case study. This enables his patients to quickly zero in on before-and-after cases of patients who had breast augmentation with similarly-sized implants, then determine the type of implants which were inserted. These factors help distinguish Dr. Andrade as Ontario’s leading breast implant surgeon.
Disclaimer: This information is meant for Dr. Andrade’s patients and to supplement an in-person consultation. Medical science is constantly changing, so it is not guaranteed to be complete or accurate.
