I recently learned that an MRI may be recommended for plastic surgery patients who receive silicone breast implants, since silicone breast implants have now been reintroduced into the plastic surgery field as an acceptable breast implant after being banned amid safety concerns here in the US for several years.  Some people agree with the reintroduction and some people don’t, with lobbying groups lobbying to get the silicone implants banned for good here in the US because they still believe they are the cause of serious health issues.

Regardless, some doctors may actually recommend a yearly MRI as a precaution for breast implant patients who have the new silicone implants to make sure that the silicone has not leaked out into the body.  The problem with silicone is that, instead of being absorbed by the body and reabsorbed harmlessly into the blood stream like saline breast implants, silicone will just stay in the body indefinitely, and that is why the MRI is recommended. 

This way, the MRI can detect the silicone that has leaked out of the breast implant and a surgery can be performed to remove the escaped silicone from the chest or wherever else it may have migrated to.  I guess this is the only way that one can truly tell if a silicone implant has leaked, because the silicone stays localized in the breast area usually, and the shape is held, unlike a saline implant which is more easily told if there is any deflation involved because the deflation occurs rather than the shape being held in a silicone implant (understand?  I feel like I just ran in circles!)

At any rate, it really is up to the patient whether they want silicone or saline, and their level of comfort with safety issues that have not been fully examined at this point.  Silicone is often a more natural look that is softer to the touch as well, and this is the reason that many patients do choose this alternative breast implant method instead, especially if their concerns are primarily about natural look and feel. 

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Posted in Surgical Augmentation, Enhancement & Enlargement by Breast News Girl No Comments Yet