Saline Breast Augmentation

Saline Breast Implant Profile

Outer shell: Silicone

Inner fill: Filled with sterile saline solution during surgery

Texture: Smooth or textured

Shape(s) available: Round and anatomical (tear-drop)

Cost for implants: $1,000 to $2,000 for implants, alone

Techniques for placement: All four methods are available. Please visit our "Techniques" page to learn more.

Advantages: Saline breast implants are considered to be safer than silicone because if they rupture, the saline is absorbed by the body and not considered harmful. They are easy to replace.

Risks/disadvantages: More likely to cause rippling and wrinkling in skin because the solution is less thick than silicone. They feel harder and less natural. All breast implants require placement every 10 to 20 years.

About saline: Sterile saline, which is a saltwater mixture, is much like the fluids already found in the human body. Saline breast implants require smaller incisions to insert the empty implant, which is then filled with saline solution once placed in the chest cavity. Saline breast implants have a flexible volume, which is thinner in substance, and can be adjusted by the surgeon. Saline-filled breast implants have been criticized for feeling hard or unnatural, although improved surgical techniques have lessened these complaints.

Saline breast implants are more popular and considered safer. If saline breast implants rupture, the body will absorb the saline and flush it out of the body via urination, eventually. In addition, should a saline breast implant rupture or break, it is easier to replace and remove than silicone gel breast implants. Saline breast implants are more likely to cause rippling and wrinkling of the skin because the solution is not as thick.

The FDA has approved saline breast implants for unrestricted use in breast enlargement, reconstructive and enhancement surgeries.

Use our Surgeon Locator to find a silicone breast augmentation surgeon near you!