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Options for Breast Implants in Indiana
Once you have chosen to undergo breast enlargement surgery, you will have a few more decisions ahead of you. An important decision involves breast implants. Indiana plastic surgeon Dr. Gus Galante has many years of experience helping women determine which implant options will best help them attain the full, attractive breasts they desire.
Before & After Photos
View our online gallery to see how Dr. Galante has helped women like you to reshape their breast appearance for enhanced self confidence and an improved self image.
To talk with Dr. Galante about breast augmentation, request a consultation online or call our Schererville or Valparaiso offices at (800) 721-3244. He is always ready to listen to your goals and answer any of your questions. Be sure to review before and after photos online of some of our actual breast augmentation patients.
Size for Breast Implants
Carefully evaluating different types of breast implants helps Indiana women make a good choice when it comes time for surgery. Implant type and size is a very personal decision that should be based on your own unique goals. Women consider breast enlargement surgery for a variety of reasons, which often include:
- Increasing the size of naturally small breasts
- Replacing breast volume that was lost due to pregnancy, nursing, or weight loss
- Balancing breasts of different sizes
Dr. Galante will help you weigh these factors, along with your body type and lifestyle, to help you figure out which breast implants will make the most sense for you.
Implant Material
Women who visit Dr. Galante for breast enlargement surgery can choose between either saline or silicone implants. Although this decision is essentially a matter of personal preference, it's helpful to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each type to determine which will be right for you.
Saline
The most common breast implant fill material at our practice continues to be saline – a medical-grade salt water solution. The advantages include:
- Requiring only a small incision because the implant is empty and rolled up like a cigar when inserted.
- Allowing flexibility in incision location and in final breast size because they are filled after placement.
- Alleviating concerns about safety or implant rupture because saline is not harmful to the body.
- Being less expensive than silicone in most cases.
Dr. Galante has been using saline implants for many years and has found that the vast majority of his patients are very satisfied with their results.
Silicone
After fourteen years of study the FDA approved a new generation of silicone gel implants in November 2006, declaring them safe and effective for women age 22 and older. The advantages of silicone breast implants are mainly aesthetic and include:
- Some women find that the texture of silicone implants has a more natural look and feel than saline implants.
- Silicone is preferable for women who have very little breast tissue of their own. In these patients, silicone gel implants tend to look more like a natural breast, with a gentle slope away from the collarbone when they stand up, rather than the fixed or overly round appearance that can occur with saline.
In spite of a pleasing, natural look and feel, silicone implants have some drawbacks as well. Silicone implants many have a slightly higher rate of capsular contracture, the hardening of the scar tissue that surrounds the implant. Implant placement under the pectoral muscle has been found to reduce this complication. Also, because these implants are pre-filled, they generally require a larger incision than saline.
Implant Profile
Our breast enlargement patients can customize their results further by choosing an aesthetically pleasing breast implant profile. "Profile" describes how far the implant protrudes, or sticks out, from the chest wall; common options are low, moderate plus, and high profile. Dr. Galante will help you choose the implant profile that is best suited to your breast enlargement goals and your body type to give your breasts an enhanced shape with a natural look.
Next Step
If you're ready to take the next step, request a consultation online or call our Schererville or Valparaiso offices at (800) 721-3244. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gus Galante serves patients from Northwest Indiana, including Munster and Merrillville, as well as cities in the Chicago metropolitan area.
