Dr. Mahony on Silicone Implants, Saline, and the IDEAL IMPLANT®!

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What Are My Breast Implant Options? Dr. Mahony on Silicone Implants, Saline, and the IDEAL IMPLANT®

by Ellen Mahony

Women who had a breast augmentation done twenty years ago were limited in their choices for implants, stuck with a choice between the two breast implant options on the market: saline implants and silicone gel implants. The FDA continued to approve saline and silicone gel implants throughout the years, but as neither option greatly improved, surgeons and patients alike were discouraged by their limited options for breast augmentation. Women expressed dissatisfaction that saline implants feel like a water balloon and have a greater risk/visibility of rippling, and that silicone implants come with many safety concerns.

Now, improved breast implant technology is available, and women are no longer stuck between two options. In 2014, IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implants were approved by the FDA and Health Canada. The IDEAL IMPLANT is a structured saline implant that looks and feels more like a breast and compares very similarly to silicone gel implants. Its unique structure is made up of a series of nested shells that surround two separate chambers holding the saline filler. This allows the saline inside to flow more naturally so that it stays in place. Dr. Ellen Mahony was recently recognized as an IDEAL IMPLANT Premier Surgeon due to her extensive expertise with breast augmentation surgery and breast implants. Dr. Mahony has saline implants herself, and she says when it’s time to replace them, she’ll use IDEAL IMPLANT.

“Now with this third choice, this is absolutely what I would go with. I can't think of any reason not to and when that day comes, that's what I'll do.” - Dr. Ellen Mahony

IDEAL IMPLANT: Natural Look and Feel without Risk of Silent Rupture

Not only does the IDEAL IMPLANT look and feel natural, it also comes without the scary safety issues associated with other breast implant options. One of the main health implant-related complications women have to worry about with silicone implants is silent rupture.

“Because rupture with a silicone gel implant is ‘silent,’ it can go undetected for an extended period.” - Dr. Ellen Mahony

Plastic surgeons may not take the time to discuss silent rupture with their patients during an initial breast augmentation, so some women are completely unaware of this risk. In fact, over the past 11 years, 160,000 silent ruptures have been estimated in women with silicone gel implants. The only way to detect a silent rupture is with an MRI, which is often not sensitive enough to be accurate. Even if the implant has ruptured, the MRI can still show up as ‘negative’ for leaks. Often patients don’t want to go through the hassle of obtaining an MRI because it’s generally not covered by insurance, so they come into a plastic surgeon’s office only after they’ve experiences painful, recognizable symptoms of a bigger problem.

“They may notice a contour irregularity of their breast, or they may notice tightening of the breast implant or tightening of the chest wall and a sense of discomfort. So by the time a person comes in for an evaluation with those types of findings, there’s a really good chance that that implant has already leaked. And at the very least there’s a development of a capsular contracture.” - Dr. Ellen Mahony

Lower Capsular Contracture Rates with IDEAL IMPLANT

Capsular contracture is another breast implant complication that women may not know much about. Capsular contracture causes the breast area around the implant to harden, and it can occur in one or both implants. The tissue will tighten, which can be very painful. According to the FDA, there are four different “grades” of capsular contracture, with Grade IV being where the breast is hard, painful, and looks abnormal.

The good news about the IDEAL IMPLANT is that it has a lower rate for capsular contracture at only 6.3%, compared to silicone gel implants, which can have capsular contracture rates between 9.8 - 16.2% at 6-7 years. This alone makes it a great choice among breast implant options. But the IDEAL IMPLANT also has zero risk of silent rupture and a lower rupture risk when compared to silicone implants. The rupture risk of an IDEAL IMPLANT is only 1.8% at 7 years, whereas silicone gel implant rupture is anywhere between 3.4 - 7.4% at 6-7 years.

If an IDEAL IMPLANT ruptures, the revision surgery is simple and requires a small incision to remove. Silicone gel ruptures require a more complicated revision surgery.

“The silicone gel from a ruptured implant can stick to the tissues on the chest wall and a capsulectomy is often required,” explains Dr. Mahony. “The warranty may not fully cover these costs.”

With the IDEAL IMPLANT, you’ll notice right away if there is even a subtle change in the volume of the breast. Because of its two-chamber design—only the outer chamber will show the leak, while the inner chamber will retain its volume. That means you won’t have one breast look natural, and the other look completely deflated. Unlike other breast implant options, where women feel the need to rush to the doctor for revision surgery, a woman can get a new IDEAL IMPLANT at her convenience.

“The IDEAL implant provides all the safety criteria that one could want as well as the same aesthetic outcome that was believed to be the selling point of gel. Due to its double wall shell and saline fill, the risks of leaks and complex capsular contractures are extremely low - in fact lower than any other implant on the market today. Replacement is a straightforward procedure. Plus, it offers a lifetime warranty.” - Dr. Ellen Mahony

As an IDEAL IMPLANT Premier surgeon, Dr. Ellen Mahony is proud to offer her patients in the greater Connecticut area the latest technology in breast enhancement. Dr. Mahony stands among the nation’s most experienced IDEAL IMPLANT surgeons, with unsurpassed expertise in helping women achieve beautiful results, without compromising their peace of mind.

“Dr. Mahony is extremely kind and understanding. She worked very hard to make sure I felt comfortable and understood fully what was going on. I am so delighted with the result and the process was easy. She really knows what she’s doing.” - Realself review from efg15

Contact Dr. Mahony’s office for a no-obligation consultation today.

131 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut, 06880

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*Individual Results May Vary
Copyright 2019 Ellen A. Mahony, MD, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ellen Mahony specializes in breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, tummy tuck, liposuction, face lift and eyelid surgery. Her office is located in Westport and serves Fairfield, Bridgeport, Norwalk, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Shelton, Darien, Redding and Monroe.

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