SALINE OR SILICONE

mbalder
mbalder Member Posts: 31
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I HAVE TISSUE EXPANDERS IN RIGHT NOW, CANNOT DECIDE IF I WANT TO GO WITH SALINE OR SILICONE, MY SURGERY WILL BE IN FEB SOMETIME, ANY COMMENTS ON EITHER ONE WOULD BE HELPFUL!
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Comments

  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    My plastic surgeon
    My plastic surgeon is replacing my tissue expanders with silicone on 11/10. As you get more fills your boobs will be like rocks, I have one more fill(60cc) to go before my surgery. The silicone ones are softer.

    I want softer ones than what I have now but will never be as soft as the real thing-LOL.

    Margo
  • e_hope
    e_hope Member Posts: 370
    They recommend mastectomy
    They recommend mastectomy patients get silicone.. because of have no breast tissue ... the silicone are suppose to be more natural feeling....
  • Cat64
    Cat64 Member Posts: 1,192
    Haven't
    had to make this decision as of yet, however, if or when I may have to..I'd go silicone. Have heard too many stories of saline leakage.
    Hugz,
    Cathy
  • cats_toy
    cats_toy Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    I am going for silicone too.
    I have heard all the stories, but they have made the silicone as safe as the saline, and yes, as everyone else has said, it looks and feels more like the real thing. My bc breast is now filled with my tummy fat, and as soon as I am ready, they will use an implant to try and make the "other" one match.
    Whatever choice you make, it has to be yours alone, as you have to be able to accept the decision.
    Good luck in whichever way you go!
    Cat
  • j916
    j916 Member Posts: 141
    My Plastic Surgeon
    My plastic Surgeon made the decision, and I trusted his judgement. He chose silicone due to the fact that my skin was very thin from the mastectomy and the silicone would be a much better choice, and produce a much more "natural" effect.
    Jeanne
  • jikaras
    jikaras Member Posts: 58
    Silicone
    I've already got my implants and my choice was silicone. I had mine inserted in May, and they skin now is healing. They are much softer; my husband tells me all the time that they are getting 'squishy'

    Jill
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    jikaras said:

    Silicone
    I've already got my implants and my choice was silicone. I had mine inserted in May, and they skin now is healing. They are much softer; my husband tells me all the time that they are getting 'squishy'

    Jill

    OK .. Newbie to Expanders .. I will be having a bi-lateral
    early in 2010 .. We don't get inplants right away? I don't know why I thought that we have new boobs after our bi-laterals. Crazy right .. I sure I would of figured it out on my own, however, I've been busy pushing for my chemo start up, getting my port not to mention the many many tests performed prior to the start of chemo.

    I am watching in silent - gathering information.


    Thank you all.

    VickiSam
  • mbalder
    mbalder Member Posts: 31
    THE ONLY REASON I AM
    THE ONLY REASON I AM HESITANT ON THE SILICONE IS I DONT WANT TO HAVE TO DO THE MRI EVERY YEAR. WITH THE SALINE I WILL KNOW WHEN THERE IS A LEAK. ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE SALINE IMPLANTS?
  • jikaras
    jikaras Member Posts: 58
    mbalder said:

    THE ONLY REASON I AM
    THE ONLY REASON I AM HESITANT ON THE SILICONE IS I DONT WANT TO HAVE TO DO THE MRI EVERY YEAR. WITH THE SALINE I WILL KNOW WHEN THERE IS A LEAK. ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE SALINE IMPLANTS?

    silicone
    I was told that I don't need to do MRI's every year......I only have to do them in 10 years. IDK if this is a doctor preference or what.....
  • e_hope
    e_hope Member Posts: 370
    jikaras said:

    silicone
    I was told that I don't need to do MRI's every year......I only have to do them in 10 years. IDK if this is a doctor preference or what.....

    I was told by my surgeon...
    I was told by my surgeon... That I would have yearly MRI's and no more mammos
  • GreeneyedGirl
    GreeneyedGirl Member Posts: 1,077
    e_hope said:

    I was told by my surgeon...
    I was told by my surgeon... That I would have yearly MRI's and no more mammos

    I do! Saline~that is...
    I have one saline implant, I had a latissimus flap procedure done a year ago. Using the skin and muscle from my back~i needed a little extra "oomph" to match the other breast. the saline implant is under a muscle~so I would not feel a difference if I had chosen a silicone or a saline~therefore i wanted a saline so I would have no concerns of silicone leaking into my body~even tho they are so well made these days and the likelihood of that is low. I felt better knowing it was saline in my body. My body feels just fine, and have wonderful symetry (they are even). I am happy with my results. I also opted to not have the nipple tattoo or reconstruction. I personally feel fine without it. Take in all the info you can to help you make your decision. There is lots of good input here. I hope that helps.
    Melanie
  • hhmom
    hhmom Member Posts: 3
    saline or silicone
    I have had both since my masectomy. The silicone looks more natural. It is soft and not hard like saline. The saline implant can leave ripples around the outline of the implant. Hope this helps.
  • hhmom
    hhmom Member Posts: 3

    I do! Saline~that is...
    I have one saline implant, I had a latissimus flap procedure done a year ago. Using the skin and muscle from my back~i needed a little extra "oomph" to match the other breast. the saline implant is under a muscle~so I would not feel a difference if I had chosen a silicone or a saline~therefore i wanted a saline so I would have no concerns of silicone leaking into my body~even tho they are so well made these days and the likelihood of that is low. I felt better knowing it was saline in my body. My body feels just fine, and have wonderful symetry (they are even). I am happy with my results. I also opted to not have the nipple tattoo or reconstruction. I personally feel fine without it. Take in all the info you can to help you make your decision. There is lots of good input here. I hope that helps.
    Melanie

    Breast implants
    I was wanting to know how many reconstruction procedures you had to have to get both breast the same as much as possible. I have already had two and I am still not happy. I have no breast tissue on the left side due to a masectomy. I have had it replaced with silicone and then saline. Both times has left me with ripples(indentions) around the outside of the implant. Why did you not have the nipple or tatto reconstructed? I feel different walking around the house in a t-shirt with only one nipple sticking out.
  • hhmom
    hhmom Member Posts: 3
    mbalder said:

    THE ONLY REASON I AM
    THE ONLY REASON I AM HESITANT ON THE SILICONE IS I DONT WANT TO HAVE TO DO THE MRI EVERY YEAR. WITH THE SALINE I WILL KNOW WHEN THERE IS A LEAK. ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE SALINE IMPLANTS?

    silicone implants
    I have had saline and now have silicone. I have an MRI once every year. My doctor prefers this over a mammogram. Once you get implants, a mammogram cannot detect anything behind the implant. A dye is put into my veins through IV during the MRI and if there is cancer, it will light up. According to the silicone company, you are required to have an MRI every three years, but I have one very year.
  • GreeneyedGirl
    GreeneyedGirl Member Posts: 1,077
    hhmom said:

    saline or silicone
    I have had both since my masectomy. The silicone looks more natural. It is soft and not hard like saline. The saline implant can leave ripples around the outline of the implant. Hope this helps.

    In response~to hhmom
    The number of surgeries I have had for reconstruction I will try and condense for you~ When diagnosed I had a lumpectomy on my left breast followed by radiation. One year later I had the right breast reduced to match the left which had shrunk from surgery and radiation. One year after that I had a reoccurrence in the left breast and had a mastectomy (left breast only) since radiation limits how the muscle will stretch my option was a lattissimus flap~and to get enough projection to match my right side we added the saline implant which is under the lattissimus muscle, therefore no rippling can be seen. I chose not to have a nipple because I felt I did not need it. I am happy as I am, my husband of 24 years loves me, I have breast fed all my children who are grown and don't need the nipple (ha~ha). For me it was just feeling done with treatment and surgery. I was/am at complete peace about it all.
    As always, I hope my journey and choices have helped in some way.
    Melanie
  • Dawne.Hope
    Dawne.Hope Member Posts: 823

    In response~to hhmom
    The number of surgeries I have had for reconstruction I will try and condense for you~ When diagnosed I had a lumpectomy on my left breast followed by radiation. One year later I had the right breast reduced to match the left which had shrunk from surgery and radiation. One year after that I had a reoccurrence in the left breast and had a mastectomy (left breast only) since radiation limits how the muscle will stretch my option was a lattissimus flap~and to get enough projection to match my right side we added the saline implant which is under the lattissimus muscle, therefore no rippling can be seen. I chose not to have a nipple because I felt I did not need it. I am happy as I am, my husband of 24 years loves me, I have breast fed all my children who are grown and don't need the nipple (ha~ha). For me it was just feeling done with treatment and surgery. I was/am at complete peace about it all.
    As always, I hope my journey and choices have helped in some way.
    Melanie

    bump up
    Hello,

    I'm bumping this thread up because I have to make this decision soon. I'm waffling back and forth. I'm so tired of making decisions! :)

    Would like to know if anyone else has anything to add. My PS doesn't care whether I get the saline or silicone. My skin is really thin so the silicone would probably look better, but am concerned about the MRI's and insurance coverage.

    Just wanted to know if anyone else has any thoughts or advice.

    thank you,
    dh
  • jo jo
    jo jo Member Posts: 1,175

    bump up
    Hello,

    I'm bumping this thread up because I have to make this decision soon. I'm waffling back and forth. I'm so tired of making decisions! :)

    Would like to know if anyone else has anything to add. My PS doesn't care whether I get the saline or silicone. My skin is really thin so the silicone would probably look better, but am concerned about the MRI's and insurance coverage.

    Just wanted to know if anyone else has any thoughts or advice.

    thank you,
    dh

    My doc says silicone,
    My doc says silicone, because my skin is too thin and it would look and feel more natural than the saline because the skin is so thin.
    Im going to get a little off track for a second...have you ever watched the show mythbusters? They did an episode on silicone breast implants and what it would take to break one....it was amazing the torchure they put this implant through and they proved under normal conditions and beyond that they were very durable the only thing that damaged it was a bullet peircing it and they stabbed it, of course they will get damaged under these extreme conditions...but also when it was pierced open even by the bullet it did not burst, there was a little hole the size of the bullet and the gel inside hoovered around the opening and barely any excaped from the opening until they squeezed the implant to make it oose out. I just found that very comforting cuz its not like the saline were if its pierced it would run like water (even though its not harmful) but the silicone is not as liquid as the saline and it would take alot for it to oose out even when its pierced.
    As far as the mammogram vs MRI's...my doc told me id have MRI's and no more mammograms. (i had a double mastectomy)
  • m-star
    m-star Member Posts: 441
    jo jo said:

    My doc says silicone,
    My doc says silicone, because my skin is too thin and it would look and feel more natural than the saline because the skin is so thin.
    Im going to get a little off track for a second...have you ever watched the show mythbusters? They did an episode on silicone breast implants and what it would take to break one....it was amazing the torchure they put this implant through and they proved under normal conditions and beyond that they were very durable the only thing that damaged it was a bullet peircing it and they stabbed it, of course they will get damaged under these extreme conditions...but also when it was pierced open even by the bullet it did not burst, there was a little hole the size of the bullet and the gel inside hoovered around the opening and barely any excaped from the opening until they squeezed the implant to make it oose out. I just found that very comforting cuz its not like the saline were if its pierced it would run like water (even though its not harmful) but the silicone is not as liquid as the saline and it would take alot for it to oose out even when its pierced.
    As far as the mammogram vs MRI's...my doc told me id have MRI's and no more mammograms. (i had a double mastectomy)

    if you have thin skin then i
    if you have thin skin then i would go for silicone as you could get "rippling" with the saline and thats not a good look =)

    I was also told i would get no more mammo's nor MRI's to check for BC~but you may need to get MRI every couple of yrs to check on the implant.They check for signs of rupture.

    Hmmm.....i would have THOUGHT that your insurance would cover an MRI to check the implant??Always best to check tough.Maybe if you can written documentation from your PS explaining this is a necessary procedure,they may be more willing with it??

    At the end of the day,it a personal choice.But i would weigh up the pro's and con's of saline v silicone.Silicones don't last as long either so would need replacing sooner~another thing for the insurance.
  • Dawne.Hope
    Dawne.Hope Member Posts: 823
    m-star said:

    if you have thin skin then i
    if you have thin skin then i would go for silicone as you could get "rippling" with the saline and thats not a good look =)

    I was also told i would get no more mammo's nor MRI's to check for BC~but you may need to get MRI every couple of yrs to check on the implant.They check for signs of rupture.

    Hmmm.....i would have THOUGHT that your insurance would cover an MRI to check the implant??Always best to check tough.Maybe if you can written documentation from your PS explaining this is a necessary procedure,they may be more willing with it??

    At the end of the day,it a personal choice.But i would weigh up the pro's and con's of saline v silicone.Silicones don't last as long either so would need replacing sooner~another thing for the insurance.

    thank you for your responses!
    M-star, what kind of implants are you going to get? I can't remember ...

    JoJo, that is very interesting about the mythbusters and silicone implants. That is encouraging.

    One of the requirements of the silicone implants is the MRI's every few years to check for leaks.

    My PS has been scarce during the fills; it was his PA that did the fills and the one I've spent the most time with. I did have the saline vs. silicone talk with him a few weeks ago where he gave me all the information. I may make an appt. and meet with him one more time before the exchange and ask all the questions that have come in my mind since we've talked.

    I had no idea this decision would be so difficult. *Sigh*

    Thank you,
    dh
  • m-star
    m-star Member Posts: 441

    thank you for your responses!
    M-star, what kind of implants are you going to get? I can't remember ...

    JoJo, that is very interesting about the mythbusters and silicone implants. That is encouraging.

    One of the requirements of the silicone implants is the MRI's every few years to check for leaks.

    My PS has been scarce during the fills; it was his PA that did the fills and the one I've spent the most time with. I did have the saline vs. silicone talk with him a few weeks ago where he gave me all the information. I may make an appt. and meet with him one more time before the exchange and ask all the questions that have come in my mind since we've talked.

    I had no idea this decision would be so difficult. *Sigh*

    Thank you,
    dh

    Dawn~
    im getting the

    Dawn~

    im getting the anatomical cohesive silicone gel implants (Allergan 410 "gummy")as far as i know. Size (grams) and style are yet unknown until my fills are done,bit i'm HOPING to get the 410 MX in at least 325grams.(M= moderate height) (X= extra full projection).Or if the extra full projection isn't possible,then the full projection.

    I still don't know the dimentions of my tissue expanders yet-just that they are a 300ml set.

    Once i get the dimensions of them (width/height etc) i may have a better "guestimate" of where i could end up size wise.

    The width and height of my TE's will determine what width and height implant i can get,as my PS likes to overfill for the implant to allow for adequate shrinkage of the skin and muscle.If this isnt done,when the skin/muscle contacts back,it will compress the implant and give it a flat,uneven look-even may distort it.