Your Guide to the Different Types of Breast Implants

Did you know that the breast augmentation procedure was the most popular plastic surgery in North America last year, with just shy of 300,000 successful procedures?

Despite the constant introduction of new procedures and new technologies into plastic surgery clinics across the country, breast augmentation has remained the most popular procedure for the last few years. That’s because the tools and techniques have continued to evolve, resulting in better outcomes and more natural results.

Today, the term boob job can describe any one of several different procedures, so it can be confusing.

To help clear things up, this blog will take a deep dive into the various types of breast procedures offered by Toronto Plastic Surgeons so you can make the most informed decision about what’s right for you.

Breast Implant Types

The most common form of breast augmentation is getting breast implants. However, even this offers you a couple of different options. 

There are two types of implants.

Silicone Breast Implants

These are the go-to choice for women who are looking to enhance the size of their busts, while still maintaining a natural look, feel, and movement.

They are also extremely popular because the incisions can be small and subtle, which is a big factor when trying to maximize a natural look. In most cases, they are inserted via an under-the-breast incisional approach through a trans-axillary incision. You get the most natural results, with the least amount of visible scarring.

You may have also heard these implants referred to as gummy bear implants because they’re soft and they come in a natural breast-like teardrop shape. They also do not leak and come with a lifetime warranty provided by the manufacturer.

Silicone implants are also well known for their resistance to issues like rippling or other undesired irregularities.

We like to say that the cohesive silicone gel implants are responsive in nature. Your implant will change its shape to match your position in space and with gravity. This is what gives them their much-coveted natural movement. For example, your implant shifts downward when you stand to give you the tear-dropped shape. But when you’re lying down, the shape will become more rounded.

Saline Breast Implants

These have been on the market for a bit longer than silicone implants, so some women are more comfortable with their proven history.  

During this procedure, your surgeon can fill the implants with the sterile saltwater/saline solution after they have been expertly inserted through the armpit or through the areola with an inframammary incision. This technique keeps the size of your scar to an absolute minimum.

However, silicone implants are more popular these days because saline implants have a few drawbacks:

• They are more prone to leak or rupture and they will have to be replaced every 10 years
• They don’t offer the same viscosity in certain positions as the more natural-looking silicone implants
• You run the risk of a breakdown of the breast implant shell, which can lead to rippling under your skin

Your surgeon will go over all of the specifics with you in great detail to ensure that you’re comfortable with everything, and ensure you get the best possible outcome.

Silicone vs. Saline: Which Type is Right For Me?

It’s hard to gain a full understanding of the different types of breast implants by just reading a blog. Today, we wanted to give you a good overview of the various options available, but we know that this is only one small part of the process.

One-on-one consultations and personalized care will always lead to the best outcomes. Our success comes from getting to know you and your needs, and then coming up with a plan to achieve your specific goals on your unique body.

If you’re currently researching breast implants in Toronto (and the rest of the GTA), you will see that our clinic is synonymous with quality and customer care. Our team’s Dr. Bell has been performing breast augmentations for over 20 years.

They both firmly believe that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions in the world of plastic surgery. We will work closely with you to help you select the perfect:

• Size
• Shape
• Material
• Placement

But to truly ensure that we can select the right boob size for you and your unique body, we use state-of-the-art VECTRA® 3-D pre-op breast imaging technology. This shows you exactly how various options will look on your unique frame. It basically gives you the chance to try before you buy!

Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation

This is a popular alternative for women that want to add shape and volume to their breasts, but are not comfortable with breast implants. At the same time, this procedure also helps you get rid of excess fat cells from another part of your body.

The approach here is very similar to the Brazilian butt lift procedure. Your surgeon will expertly enhance your upper body’s contour by harvesting the existing natural fat cells from some part of your body and transplanting them into your breast area. The harvested fat typically comes from the abdomen, hips, thighs, or other areas that you wouldn’t mind toning a bit.

This basically helps you change the shape and volume of your breasts using your body’s own natural fat cells, which makes it very appealing to a lot of women. The results are also designed to be permanent and will remain constant as long as you maintain your post-op shape and weight. The best results come from staying within 5-10 pounds.

The results are often striking and amazing. But it’s worth noting that fat grafting doesn’t always offer you the same level of predictability when compared to breast implants. However, our team’s Dr. Bell is highly experienced and recognized as a leading expert in performing this complex procedure.

A Breast Lift

If you’re less concerned with adding volume, and more concerned with restoring a youthful perkiness to your breasts, the classic breast lift procedure is likely your best choice.

Once again, you have several techniques to choose from:

• The Crescent Lift: The most popular and the least invasive procedure
• Anchor Lift: The most invasive option, but it’s the best for heavy sagging
• Lollipop Lift: Ideal for sagging breasts and downward-pointing nipples
• Donut Lift: This requires the least amount of incisions

You also have several non-surgical options, such as:

• Evolve TITE non-surgical
• RF skin tightening
• BreastTite

As one of Canada’s leading breast lift authorities, Dr. Peter Bray is an expert in all of these techniques. His success comes from working closely with the patient to ensure they find the perfect procedure to help them achieve their body contouring goals.

A Breast Lift With Implants

You may also opt to change both the size and shape of your breasts. In these situations, the combination of breast implants and a breast lift can help you get the silhouette you’re looking for.

This is a very popular option among women that have had children. Time, gravity, and motherhood can all take their toll on your body. If you’re dealing with sagging breasts and drooping nipples, a breast lift with implants can help you revitalize your figure.

Dr. Peter Bray will perform the lift and add the implants simultaneously during a procedure that will take between 2-4 hours. The implants are just an extension of a traditional breast lift procedure.

A Breast Lift as Part of The Mommy Makeover

Of course, the breasts aren’t the only part of the body that can be affected by having children.

The Mommy Makeover can help you regain your pre-baby body by giving you a comprehensive combination of multiple treatments, in various areas of your body.

Each makeover is fully customized to meet your needs, but it may include:

• Breast lift/ breast implants
• Liposuction
• Tummy tuck
• Stretch mark removal
• Labiaplasty

The breast lift/ implants can help you revitalize your upper body and restore a youthful firmness. Meanwhile, the tummy tuck can help address the always-difficult-to-tone midsection.

It’s difficult enough to trim the unwanted fat through diet and exercise. But cardio and sit-ups can’t help you get rid of loose skin or stretch marks. A tummy tuck can help you address both of those problems, leaving you with a more trimmed midsection.

Breast Implants vs. Breast Lift: Which Has Less Scarring?

One of the most important parts of creating the most natural-looking results is ensuring that the scars are as small and as subtle as possible.

Shock wave treatments on the breast implant soft tissue help you avoid capsular formation. They can also soften the stiffness that occasionally follows breast augmentation and breast lift surgery.

You may choose a breast lift because it involves a short scar and the procedure does not involve the horizontal scar under the breast that would come from implants.

However, when it comes to breast implants, it’s not just about the size of the scar. It’s also about the placement of the scar. Our surgeons expertly place an under-the-breast incision high up and out of plain sight. This technique creates a new fold that is attached to the underlying tissue. This new crease placement means that the scar can’t actually be seen in a normal or lying position. You would have to physically lift the breast to see it.

At the same time, we also reduce the length of the incision by using a high-tech insertion device called the Keller Funnel. This minimizes any possible insertion trauma and also protects you from potential contamination.

Breast Implant Removal

The vast majority of women who get breast implants are more than satisfied with the results, while complications are extremely rare. The techniques and technology continue to evolve and they’re leading to the best outcomes we’ve ever seen. This is one of the reasons that the number of breast implant removals dropped by 17% between 2018 and 2019.

Our clinic also provides expert breast implant removal procedures on-site. A woman may choose to have her implants removed for any number of reasons. In a lot of cases, patients are looking to replace older breast implants with new ones. In these situations, a fat grafting procedure could also be considered.

There are also rare cases where implants are removed because of some hardening around the area (capsular contracture).

How Much Do These Procedures Cost?

The price of each respective procedure will depend on a number of factors.

However, here are the starting prices for each procedure:

• Breast augmentation/ implants: Starts at $7,999
• Breast implant removal: Starts at $9,999
• Fat transfer breast augmentation: Starts at $9,999
• Breast lift (Mastopexy): Starts at $9,999
• Breast lift with implants: Starts at $15,999
• The Mommy Makeover: Starts at $16,999

Your surgeon will go over the various factors that can influence the price during your initial consultation.

Our clinic also offers financing options to make things even more attainable. We don’t believe that money should get in the way of self-improvement.

We’re Ready to Talk About Your Options

As you can see, the choices can be overwhelming and confusing, to say the least.

As we mentioned earlier, our clinic has a proven track record of success because we believe in individual attention and customized solutions. While we hope this blog has been helpful, we know that it’s best to answer your questions about the various breast implant types and sizes in a one-on-one meeting.

Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown, we would hold our initial consultations in person at our clinic. But in accordance with new social distancing protocols, we’re limiting the number of people on-site and holding our pre-op and post-op meetings via video conferencing. We certainly miss the face-to-face meetings, but these video calls still give us a great chance to meet you (virtually) and thoroughly answer your questions.

We are still open and we are ready to help you!

Your journey can begin right now! Set up a consultation today and take the first step towards becoming your best self.