Saline Breast Implants for women under 22 years, Raleigh, NC*

This 18 year old woman presented for breast augmentation. She wanted to go from her 38 B cup up to a full C or small D cup. She had some drooping, but did not want a lift. She underwent a sub muscular breast augmentation with Mentor smooth wall Moderate Plus implants. She had some asymmetry so the left side had 440 cc while the right had 480cc. This was within the normal range that these saline implants allow. She had a dual plane approach which helps to compensate for some degree of drooping and allow the implant to "raise" the appearance of the nipple without a mastopexy. She was very pleased with her new appearance. When silicone gel implants were approved to return back to the market in 2006, the FDA recommended that woman under age 22 should not have gel implants. The rationale for this was not really based on any significance of that particular age. Rather it was because the patients who were part of the ongoing studies to prove silicone implants were generally safe did not include any patient under 22. Generally, we recommend saline implants for those under 22 but the reason is not based on much scientific evidence that these devices are safer in this population. Saline devices still are quite popular. They do not feel quite as natural as gel devices and for that reason Dr. Lyle almost always places them in the sub pectoral position. In properly selected patients and with careful technique and implant size selection, they can be as good as gel devices.