Breast Implant type:  silicone or saline?

The recent decision by the USFDA to approve silicone implants as being safe for cosmetic plastic surgery (after banning them for almost twenty years) comes as good news for women planning breast augmentation.  The tremendous advances and improvements in silicone implants - which have been used all along in Europe and other countries outside the US and inside the US for reconstructive and approved research augmentation surgery - are now available to everyone.  There are pros and cons for using either silicone or saline, and plastic surgeons will show you samples of both and explain the different options to determine which suits you best.

Implant location:  in front of or behind the chest muscle?

Both silicone and saline implants can be placed either subglandular - below the breast tissue but above the pectoralis major chest muscle, or subpectoral - beneath the chest muscle.  This decision is usually dictated by the existing amount of breast tissue, skin and muscle tone, weight and body type.  If there is not much breast tissue to begin with, the final results will be more natural if the implant is placed beneath the muscle. There are a number of other reasons why placement beneath the muscle is preferred, and a board-certified Plastic Surgeon will give you all the facts you need to decide.