Saline Breast Implants Or Cohesive Gel Implants – Which Is The Better Choice?

Cohesive gel implants are the new kid on the block in the breast augmentation industry, at least in the United States. Elsewhere in the world it has been in use for close to twenty years and has established a positive reputation among women and plastic surgeons. But in the United States, the cohesive gel implant is still undergoing the FDA's clinical trial; it could be many more years before the implant is given the FDA's final stamp of approval. Saline implants have been in use much longer, and have rightfully earned the reputation of being the safest implant for breast augmentation surgery. Which is the better choice for your augmentation?

Breast implants are composed of an outer silicone shell that is filled with an interior liquid, much like a common water balloon. Saline implants use a saltwater mix as their filler. It is harmless to the human body, and is much the reason why saline implants have earned the reputation of being the safest implant available. In the unlikely event that a saline breast implant ruptures, it will leak its saltwater solution into the body where the filler will be absorbed into the bloodstream and later purged via urination.

Cohesive gel implants do not use a liquid as their filler. They have a solid mass of gel as their filler, one cohesive unit of gel. These new implants do not leak, even in the event of a rupture. Their solid mass of gel appears to be impervious to rupture and leakage, at least that's what the early, worldwide evidence suggests. Of course, the FDA does not recognize data collected outside its borders – any research and data collected elsewhere cannot be used to help determine the overall safety of the cohesive gel implant.

Saline implants are typically inserted into the breast empty, without its filler (basically, an empty water balloon). Only after the implant is positioned into the chest will the surgeon inflate it with the saline solution. Because of their design, saline implants require the smallest incisions out of all breast implants, thus allowing for smaller scarring when compared to other implant types.

Cohesive gel implants are a solid mass of gel; they cannot be squeezed through a small incision like saline implants or even silicone gel implants. Because of their design structure, cohesive gel implants are more likely to cause larger scarring than either saline or silicone gel implants.

The greatest difference between saline and cohesive gel implants is that saline implants are approved by the FDA and cohesive gel implants are not. That fact is significant enough to stop the majority of women from seeking the cohesive gel implant for their breast augmentation surgery. However difficult it may be for a woman to get the cohesive gel implant for her breast augmentation surgery, it is not altogether impossible. She can apply to become part of the FDA trial and, if accepted, will most likely be reimbursed for her a portion of surgery costs in exchange for agreeing to many years of follow up appointments with her surgeon.

To learn more about the cohesive gel implant, you will need to seek the counsel of a breast augmentation surgeon who is a participant in the FDA's clinical trial. To learn more about saline breast implants, seek the counsel of any plastic surgeon who is a board-certified specialist in breast augmentation.