Silicone Breast Implants

Silicone breast implants have an outer shell made of silicone rubber and are filled with cohesive silicone gel. Silicone implants feel very similar to breast tissue and are not prone to the occasional adverse effect seen with saline implants, such as visible ripples beneath the skin.

Because the size of silicone implants cannot be adjusted after placement, slightly larger incisions may be required to accommodate the implants.

After a 14-year absence from the market, silicone breast implants became available again in 2006. Mentor and Allergan, the two companies which manufacture silicone implants, have both concluded definitively through long-term clinical trials in cooperation with the FDA that silicone implants are safe and effective. If you’re interested in learning more about the safety of silicone breast implants, visit breastimplantsafety.org

Both saline and silicone implants are now available that vary in the degree of projection for any given size.


Current FDA regulations require that you must be at least 22 years of age to get silicone implants.