Healthy skin centre

Breast implants

Plastic surgery has made it possible to transform just about every part of the body, from the nose to the thighs and almost everything in between. For women who would like larger breasts for cosmetic reasons, there is breast augmentation surgery, which places implants under the breast tissue or chest muscle to increase the breast size. Women who have small breasts, or whose breasts have lost their fullness after pregnancy or weight loss, may be candidates for breast implants.

Although breast implants can be used for reconstructive purposes (for example, after the breasts are removed because of cancer) this article covers cosmetic breast augmentation only. It discusses the types of breast implants available, the procedures used, and the complications that can occur.

Types of breast implants

There are two types of breast implants: saline and silicone.

Saline-filled implants are silicone shells filled with sterile salt water (saline). Silicone-filled implants are silicone shells filled with a plastic gel (silicone). Although many women say that silicone implants feel more like real breasts than saline, they pose more of a risk if they leak.

In the UK, an Independent Review Group (IRG) looked into the safety of silicone gel-filled breast implants. In 1998 it concluded that these implants were no more of a health risk than other surgical implants. The IRG last met in 2004 and will only meet again if there are any new findings that suggest silicone implants are unsafe.

There are no safety concerns about the use of saline as a breast implant filler, says the Department of Health’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Currently in the UK, the average cost of having breast implants is about £4,000 but the cost varies depending on the treatment centre.

The NHS rarely funds cosmetic breast implant surgery, so most women pay to have the surgery privately.

To qualify for breast implants on the NHS, you would have to show the appearance of your breasts causes you significant psychological distress caused by: