Dr. Robert Whitfield explains why saline implants deflate visibly when they rupture, while silicone ruptures silently inside the scar capsule and requires imaging to detect. Both types form scar tissue and can harbor bacteria, but only silicone's hidden ruptures demand regular scans.
I've taken thousands of implants out of people, and here's the difference between saline and silicone that nobody brings up before surgery.
Which one can you tell is broken just by looking in the mirror?
Difference that matters most isn't how they feel. So saline, it deflates and you'll see it in the mirror.
Which one can tear and you'd never know?
Silicone. The gel is thick enough that it just stays sitting inside the scar capsule. That's why silicone gets checked with a scan and saline doesn't.
Which one grows scar tissue around it?
Both. Every implant does, and that part doesn't care what's inside it. Which one did you find bacteria on? So pick on FEEL if you want. Just know that only one of them will tell you when something has changed.
