What is a Saline-Filled Breast Implant?
A breast implant is a sac (implant shell) of silicone elastomer (rubber), which is surgically implanted under your chest tissues, and then filled with saline, a salt water solution, through a valve. In augmentation surgery a breast implant can be placed either over the pectoralis muscle (subglandularly) or partially under this muscle (submuscularly), depending on the thickness of your breast tissue and its ability to adequately cover the breast implant. In reconstruction following mastectomy, a breast implant is most often placed submuscularly. Reconstruction following mastectomy may involve a two-stage procedure, which includes placement of a tissue expander for several months prior to placement of the breast implant. The silicone elastomer (rubber) contains the following substances: 1) small amounts (parts per million) of various smaller silicones; 2) small amounts (50 – 100 parts per million) of metals like tin and platinum and very trace amounts of other metals; 3) trace amounts of
