Breast Implants Options

Name: Breast Implant Options
Brand: Portland Plastic Surgery Group

If you’re considering breast augmentation, selecting the ideal breast implants for your preferences is an extremely important part of the process.

client and doctor smiling while hes holding an implant

Choosing Your Perfect Breast Implants

Women considering breast augmentation have many decisions to make when it comes to choosing their breast implants at our practice in Portland, Oregon. In addition to choosing between silicone and saline implants, patients have options in shape, profile, and texture. Our board-certified plastic surgeons make this decision process easy—and often fun—for our patients by taking the time to provide plenty of information about how each choice will influence the final results. At Portland Plastic Surgery Group, you can relax and get excited about your enhanced breast size and shape.

doctor pointing and showing client a breast implant

Selecting Your Implant Size

Although all breast augmentation patients do have the common goal of enlarging their breasts, they differ significantly in the degree of enlargement they desire. For many women, a very minimal size increase is enough to achieve maximum improvement. Other women are looking for more dramatic enhancement. Your surgeon will help you find just the right size for your breast implants. Women trust our practice for professional guidance and results they will be happy with for years to come. It’s important to understand that breast implant sizes are measured in volume (cubic centimeters, or cc) and not bra cup size. This is because your final breast size will include your actual breast tissue along with the breast implants. During your breast augmentation consultation, you will have the opportunity to try on breast implant sizers. These soft, silicone forms can be placed in your bra to give you an idea of how you might look with a range of implant sizes.

Choosing Your Implant Material: Silicone or Saline

Our surgeons offer the latest FDA-approved breast implants filled with either saline or silicone. Review the table below for a comparison of the two types.

Consideration	Saline	Silicone
Fill Material	A sterile saltwater solution	Either cohesive silicone gel or highly cohesive silicone gel (also called “gummy bear” implants)
Feel	Slightly firmer than silicone	Much like natural breast tissue
Volume	May be adjusted after they are placed, so incisions are very short	Fixed, so incisions may be slightly longer
Cost	Less expensive than silicone	More expensive than saline
In Rare Case of Rupture	Obvious as saline filling leaks and is harmlessly absorbed while the implant deflates	Not always noticeable as silicone gel holds together; MRI testing needed to determine a leak

Choosing between saline and silicone is a personal decision for most women, although you should be at least 22 years old to have silicone implants. We will thoroughly discuss with you the benefits and drawbacks of each implant type.

Ideal Implants: An Alternative to Saline or Silicone

At Portland Plastic Surgery Group, we also offer Ideal Implants. These are double-walled saline implants that have the safety of saline with the natural look and feel of silicone gel, allowing our patients to experience the best of both worlds.

Implant Shape

Breast implants are available in two shapes: round and shaped (also called anatomical, contoured, or teardrop).

Round implants provide overall fullness to enhance the upper breast and cleavage. Shaped implants mirror the natural breast shape, which is thinner and narrower at the top, and fuller and wider at the lower end.

Round implants can move naturally as the breasts shift without causing the breasts to look unnatural or distorted. Shaped implants must be properly oriented at all times, with the narrow end at the top of the breast, and therefore have a textured surface to help the body adhere slightly.

Implant Profile

Round implants, both saline and silicone, come in a range of profiles. Implant profile refers to the amount the implant projects (sticks out) from the chest wall in relation to the base width of the implant. As the profile increases, the base width narrows. The specific profile names vary between implant manufacturers but generally range from standard projection with a wide base (such as Mentor® saline Moderate Profile implants and Mentor MemoryGel® Moderate Classic Profile silicone implants) to the highest projection with the narrowest base (such as Mentor Saline High Profile and Mentor MemoryGel Ultra High Profile).

Standard-profile implants provide smooth, natural enhancement in the upper part of the breast (the area above the nipple) called the upper pole. They are also a bit wider than high-profile implants, so your breast measurements are helpful to make sure you do not get an implant that is too wide for your frame. High-profile implants create a fuller look in the upper pole and are therefore less natural in appearance but are not necessarily over the top either. We can help you understand how each of these options might look on your frame by using VECTRA® 3-D imaging.

VECTRA® 3-D Imaging

We're excited to offer breast augmentation patients the opportunity to visualize their own possible results prior to surgery thanks to the innovative VECTRA 3-D imaging system. Using a composite photo of your body, you and your surgeon can work together to picture your ideal outcome, leading to results that are perfectly planned just for you.

Sientra Breast Implants

At Portland Plastic Surgery, we offer Sientra silicone implants for our breast augmentation patients. These natural-looking implants are known for being some of the safest in the industry, showing exceptionally low rates of rupture and capsular contracture in a 10-year study.

Sientra implants feature a very high level of gel fracture resistance without being overly firm. This allows the silicone gel to be stronger than it is in other breast implants without sacrificing their softness or natural feel. These implants are available in both round and teardrop shapes depending on your specific aesthetic preferences.

Breast Implant Videos

Dr. Zegzula: Picking the Perfect Breast Implant Size (for You)

Dr. Zegzula: Breast Augmentation: What does “Drop and Fluff” Actually Mean?

Contact Portland Plastic Surgery Group to Learn More

To find out more about the many types of breast implants available at our Portland, OR practice, request a consultation online.