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About Mammoplasty

Teardrop Shaped Silicone Implant or Round Silicone Implant?

Breast augmentation surgery is one of the most popular mammoplasty breast aesthetic procedures in Turkey and around the world. The use of silicone implants is still the most popular and effective breast augmentation procedure. One of the most frequently questioned, and wondered, subjects is the difference between round silicone and teardrop silicone implants.

Before the operation, the size of the implants, as much their shape, should be discussed between the patient and the plastic surgeon.

In general, breast implants used in mammoplasty can be classified into two types: “round” and “teardrop shaped (also known as anatomical).” Each group is subdivided into subgroups with varying projections and shapes. There is not just one perfect implant shape.

The shape that would be more appropriate for the patient should be determined jointly by the plastic surgeon and the patient. On the other hand, the shape of implants that plastic surgeons recommend to their patients varies depending on the surgeon’s own experience and knowledge.

The main differences between round and teardrop-shaped implants include the shape of the implant base, the distribution of the silicone gel inside the implant on this base, the density of the gel, and the surface type (smooth or textured) of the sheath around the gel.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Round Silicone Implants

Rounds Silicone Implant

Silicone gel is homogeneously distributed in round implants, which have a circular base. The most important advantage of this structure is that even if the implant rotates around itself after being applied to the patient, such a rotation does not change the shape of the breast.

Another advantage is that it allows for filling the upper half of the breast (cleavage area) more adequately. In cases where the breasts are both saggy and small, the breast lift and augmentation procedures are performed in the same operation and mostly round implants are preferred with intent to fill the cleavage area.

The silicone gel inside round implants may be softer, so the implants may feel more natural when touched. When a round implant is placed in a pouch created just under the breast of a patient with insufficient breast tissue, capsule (hard sheath) formation around the implant and noticeable rippling can be observed in the long term. These problems are less common when the implant is placed in the subpectoral (submuscular) plane.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Teardrop Implants (Anatomical Type Silicone Implants)

Drop Silicone Implant

Teardrop (anatomical type) silicone implants do not have a circular base, and their horizontal and vertical axes differ from each other. The disadvantage of this feature is that when the silicone implant rotates around itself, the shape of the breast will be distorted. Therefore, it is of importance to position the implant in the correct axes. In order to prevent the implant from rotating later, the sheath surrounding the silicone gel is manufactured with a textured surface.

In recent years, lymphoma (BIA-ALCL, Breast Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma) in the capsule tissue formed around the silicone implant have been reported, albeit very rarely, and this problem has been observed more commonly around implants with textured surfaces. For this reason, I prefer smooth-surface implants as much as possible in my practice. However, I should state right away that there is no official opinion that textured surface implants are harmful, and their use is completely legal.

The gel on this non-round base fills the lower half more, imitating a normal breast anatomy. For this reason, the main area of use for this type of implant is breasts with no breast tissue, colloquially known as zero-size breasts. The consistency of the gel inside the implant is harder than in round implants, in order to ensure that the implant applied to this type of breast reshapes it better.

Studies conducted in recent years reveal that the shape of the silicone implant makes no significant difference on the aesthetic results of the evaluations of patients who have had undergone breast augmentation years ago.

When round and teardrop silicone implants are compared in terms of late-term complications, many variables should be taken into account, such as surface structures of implants, whether the pocket they are applied to is submuscular or supramuscular, their size, and surgical technical details; so it seems difficult to generalize in this regard.

Are The Prices Of Teardrop And Round Silicone Implants Different?

Teardrop silicone implants are a bit more expensive.

Conclusion: Keep always in mind that the plastic surgeon who will perform the surgery on you is a professional in this field and has much more knowledge and experience than what you have learned from these articles.

On the other hand, it is normal if the plastic surgeons offer you different silicone implant shapes and application options based on their personal experiences. The best course of action is to make your decision after carefully listening to the explanations of the plastic surgeons you spoke with and get answers to all the questions in your mind.

References

  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30252757/

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