At present there are a large number of prostheses for breast augmentation. Each patient will have to choose one or the other according to her anatomical characteristics and the expected result. For this, the patient will not be alone, because she will have the help of her plastic surgeon, who will try in the pre-surgical consultations to guide her in order to satisfy her expectations to the maximum.
What implants are available for breast augmentation?
There are implants of various sizes, materials, shapes and projections, but they are mainly classified into three main types:
- Breast prostheses according to their shape: the type of prosthesis according to their shape can be subdivided into three subtypes:
- Round implants: they offer a higher projection and maintain a homogeneous shape over the entire surface, which makes the problems derived from the rotation of the prosthesis almost nonexistent. However, these implants could offer a less natural final result, since they do not simulate the natural shape of the female breast. Nevertheless, depending on the characteristics of the patient, in certain cases, the results are very natural.
- Anatomical implants: designed to offer the maximum appearance of naturalness to the breast. Their characteristic “drop” shape simulates the volume of a natural breast. This physiology means that there is a possibility that the rotation of the prosthesis may have visible effects, causing asymmetries at that moment. For this reason, breast augmentation with these implants is easily recognized as they present a line in the lower pole to facilitate the surgeon to place them as symmetrically as possible.
- Ergonomic implants: they are a hybrid between the two previous ones. Designed to be as similar as possible to the natural female breast. These prostheses vary their point of maximum projection according to the posture of the body, allowing exuberant results in breast augmentation.
- Breast prostheses according to their filling material: although multiple materials were previously used to perform a breast augmentation, time has made us stay with the two highest quality ones:
- Saline: they are equally covered by a thin layer of silicone, but they are inserted empty in the surgical pocket and subsequently filled with the saline solution. In case of rupture, the serum is reabsorbed by the body itself, so they do not generate any kind of problem, although surgery will be necessary to remove the cover.
- Silicone gel: these are the most commonly used. Silicone is a thick and viscous fluid, with a feel reminiscent of the natural breast. In addition, these gels have a high cohesiveness, which prevents the gel from escaping from the lining if it breaks. This may cause the breakage to go unnoticed at first, so periodic examinations should be performed. The durability of these prostheses is greater than those of serum.
- Breast prostheses according to the texture of their cover: the last way of differentiation of breast implants is the texture they have in their cover. In this sense, we can find three differentiated subtypes:
- Smooth-surfaced implants: they are inserted through a thinner incision and have a less hard feel and a lower risk of seroma and infection. However, they have more friction with the surrounding tissues, which can generate a greater risk of capsular contracture.
- Implants with rough surface: they have more adherence to the surrounding tissues thanks to their irregular surface and a lower incidence of capsular contracture, since the roughness prevents the formation of a capsule as homogeneous as in smooth implants. However, they are more likely to suffer other types of complications after breast augmentation, such as anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
- Nanotextured implants: they are a hybrid between smooth and microtextured. They prevent more capsular contracture and late seroma as there is less friction of the implant and less bacterial adhesion to it. They offer biocompatibility and reduced invasiveness of implants.