Concerns About Silicone Breast Implants Explained

Since silicone gel breast implants are now being used again, they have rapidly become the breast implant chosen by most women for their breast augmentation.The soft supple feel of a silicone breast implant is desired by women and men alike.

I have seen many women come in for breast augmentation consults that are initially dead set against silicone breast implants and want saline implants, only to change their minds once they have accurate information. In talking to patients over the past two years, here are some of the most common myths surrounding silicone gel breast implants.

1) SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS CAN CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS AND MAKE ME SICK. Large numbers of breast implant women have been studied and it has been concluded that they do not cause autoimmune disease. This potential cause and effect has been thoroughly evaluated and been dispelled. It is the primary reason that silicone breast implants were allowed back on the market by the FDA. Silicone breast implants are one of the most extensively studied medical devices in the history of mankind. Yes it is true that there have been a very small number of women with silicone breast implants that developed autoimmune diseases but the actual rate of this occurrence is no greater than that of women who have never had breast implants. Women of the ages 20 to 45, which is the primary age for breast augmentation surgery, have the highest rates of autoimmune diseases.(ages 20 -45) So it would not be unexpected that the two will occasionally occur in the same patient. But silicone breast implants do NOT cause autoimmune diseases.

2) SILCONE BREAST IMPLANTS MAKE LEAK OUT AND SPREAD THROUGHOUT MY BODY. Today's silicone gel implants are much more like jello than any liquid. The silicone particles are gelled together so that they move as sticky mass, not flowing like a liquid. As a result, if the implant suffered a large tear, the mass of silicone simply sits there. If you squeeze on a silicone implant that has been cut with scissors, you will see that it comes bulging out of the tear only to be retracted back into the implant when the pressure is removed. Checmiaclly, we all have silicone particles throughout our bodies in microscopic amounts due to a lifetime of exposure to that element. But women with silicone breast implants today have not been shown to have substantially higher levels than those who don't have implants.

3) SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS BECOME HARD OVER TIME. When a breast with an indwelling implant becomes hard, it is known as capsular contracture. While not well understood, the natural scar tissue around a breast implant may thicken and get hard over time. In days gone by with old-style silicone implants, which were placed above the chest muscle, capsular contracture was common. When the body is exposed to small amounts of free silicone particles (known as bleeding through the implant) it will react by forming more scar tissue. In today's breast augmentation surgery, the combination of newer silicone implants which have very negligible amounts of bleeding and the implant being typically placed under the muscle, have reduced the lifelong risk of capsular contracture significantly. While that risk always exists, and it is higher when placed above the chest muscle, the occurrence of capsular contracture is not common.

Dr Barry Eppley, board-certified plastic surgeon of Indianapolis, operates a private practice at Clarian North and West Medical Centers in suburban Indianapolis. He writes a daily blog on plastic surgery at http://www.exploreplasticsurgery.com

Funding Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery is rarely a cheap process. From initial consultations through to the operation and the recovery process, cosmetic surgery can be costly in terms of both your health and your finances. Of course ninety nine times out of a hundred cosmetic procedures are carried out competently and with no side effects lasting beyond the initial recovery period. However this can only be guaranteed by opting for a fully qualified consultant surgeon who knows his business and charges accordingly. In other words, when you're preparing for a cosmetic procedure it's important to get out and find a good surgeon, even though he may prove more expensive.

What this means is that most people will be required to find a way of financing their cosmetic procedure, whilst also ensuring that they don't end up causing themselves any health problems along the way. Whilst it is possible to raise finance for this kind of procedure, it's probably better to initially make some lifestyle changes in order to be able to afford to contribute as much as possible to the final bill as possible before it arises.

If you are totally sure you want to embark on a particular cosmetic procedure, your first action plan is to go and see a consultant surgeon who would be willing to perform the operation for you. The first session is usually free, and this is the ideal time to ask exactly what his qualifications are, how many successful procedures he has carried out, what the process will involve and more importantly how much it's all going to cost. Finally if you've decided after all that that you do want to go ahead with the procedure it's time to look at ways of paying your bill.

Certain practices will offer you the availability of credit payments on your surgery, in other words will allow you to make up your payments over a period of time in order to relieve the immediate financial burden. However don't expect this to be provided free of charge. More often than not you will be charged a staggeringly high APR on this kind of credit, which will end up resulting in overpayment on your behalf.

A far more effective way to pay for your procedure is through third party financing agreements such as credit cards or short term loans. Alternatively, depending on the size of your available overdraft you may be able to fund part of the purchase from that service, which can prove to be far more cost effective than financing through the credit arrangements offered at the surgery.

Of course you could also simply go work another job for the months running up to your procedure in order to raise the finance, although this might leave you feeling tired and run down - not the best way to approach a serious cosmetic procedure! However you choose to finance your cosmetic surgery, make sure it's worth it and that it's spent with a qualified professional surgeon who knows the ropes.

Visit TheCosmeticSurgeon.net for more information on the pitfalls of cosmetic dentistry, as well as advice and information on how to get plastic surgery and how much a good plastic surgeon costs.