Breast implants are nowadays very safe. In fact, they have been used routinely in Plastic Surgery for more than 50 years.
The first ones were placed for the first time in 1962, and since then they have undergone several modifications in their manufacture to make them increasingly safer for the patient and more durable over time.
The first modifications were in response to complications and/or failures in their early years.
Among the most important complications, implant rupture and gel seepage through the walls of the shell were the most sensitive errors in the implants.
To correct this, a stronger, multi-laminate silicone elastomer shell was designed, which has resulted in much more durable and waterproof implants.
This, added to the silicone gel that filled the implant, which was originally viscous and prone to diffusion through the walls of the shell, made it more and more firm or cohesive, thus arriving to modern implants.
Are all the implant surfaces or covers the same?
No. Not all implant covers are the same, there are smooth, textured surfaces, i.e. rough and with polyurethane cover, appearing all these varieties as a response to capsular contractures.
The first implants that were produced were all of smooth surface and had a high rate of capsular contractures. These occur when the capsule or fibrous scar surrounding the implant becomes thick and closes, compressing the implant and making the breasts look very round and asymmetrical, and feel firm or hard to the touch, producing pain in some extreme cases.
In an attempt to reduce this complication, modifications were made to the implant cover, the first of which was to adhere polyurethane foam.
This, having an irregular surface, produced discontinuity in the capsule, significantly reducing the incidence of contractures.
However, the safety of the use of polyurethane was questioned, so the F.D.A. (US Food and Drug Administration) introduced a moratorium until its innocuousness was proved, however, during this period, alternative ways of simulating the texture of the polyurethane surface in the cover of the implants arose, thus textured implants.
In spite of this, implants with polyurethane foam cover are authorized and marketed in other countries different from the United States, although their use is not very popular.
In conclusion, we can say that textured surface implants have rapidly become the implant of choice for many plastic surgeons by reducing the incidence of capsular contractures.