Silicone gel breast implants now FDA approved

Grand Rapids breast implants

On Friday, November 17, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved silicone gel breast implants for first-time breast augmentation. Previously, these implants were restricted to breast reconstruction patients and just a few other women for whom saline implants were not a good choice.

Now they're approved for all women 22 and older. This is a long-awaited and very exciting development! At the Centre For Plastic Surgery, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we are now offering this choice, so please call or email us if you'd like to schedule a consultation.

Advantages of Silicone Implants

Silicone gel implants look and feel more natural. They weigh a little less than saline implants, for each given size. Further, they have less tendency to ripple in any way that can be seen or felt.

As with saline implants, silicone gel implants can be placed either submuscular (below the chest muscle), or subglandular (that is, above the muscle and below the glands). They can use the following three incision locations:

• Inframammary (beneath the breast)
• Areolar (below the nipple)
• Transaxillary (in the armpit)

The FDA did not approve the fourth incision location, the TUBA incision (through the belly button). Each location has its advantages and disadvantages.

Silicone implants come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be either round or anatomical (teardrop-shaped), and can have either a textured surface or a smooth one.

Exchanging Silicone for Saline

If you have saline implants and would like to switch to silicone gel implants, please email us for a consultation. We are offering this option now, and in some cases it can be done with just a local anesthetic. That makes the procedure easier, speeds up the recovery, and reduces the cost.

Silicone gel implants made by two California companies were approved in this FDA decision: Allergan, Inc. and Mentor Corporation. These implants are judged to be safe and effective. These two companies will be conducting 10-year studies on safety and the FDA considers these implants to already be very "extensively studied."

If you would like to learn more about this exciting new option, please contact us. We will be receiving special brochures to give you which describe silicone gel breast implants, as well as saline options. Call or email us today in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a consultation.