Saline Breast Implants in Jacksonville, FL

Get More Control Over Volume and Balance

Implant selection involves more than choosing a desired breast size. Fill material, implant dimensions, and tissue coverage can all affect how the breasts look and feel after surgery.

Saline breast implants offer Jacksonville patients an adjustable option for breast enhancement. At James Hardy Plastic Surgery, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. James E. Hardy evaluates each patient’s anatomy and goals to determine whether saline implants are an appropriate choice.

What Are Saline Breast Implants?

Saline breast implants have a silicone outer shell filled with sterile saltwater. They are FDA-approved for cosmetic breast augmentation in patients aged 18 and older.

The implant shell is typically inserted while empty and filled after it has been positioned in the breast pocket. Because the implant is not pre-filled, the surgeon can adjust its volume within the manufacturer’s approved range during the operation.

Saline implants are available in different base widths, sizes, and projection profiles. These measurements determine how the implant fits the chest and where it creates fullness.

Potential Benefits of Saline Breast Implants

Saline implants have several characteristics that may influence a patient’s decision. Their potential benefits include:

• Adjustable fill volume: The amount of saline can be modified within the implant’s approved range during surgery.
• Management of minor asymmetry: Slightly different fill volumes may help account for existing differences between the breasts.
• Potentially shorter incisions: An empty implant shell may fit through a smaller opening than a pre-filled implant.
• Noticeable deflation after rupture: A leaking saline implant usually loses volume, making the change easier to detect.
• Availability beginning at age 18: Saline implants are an option for adults who do not yet meet the minimum age for silicone implant augmentation.

These benefits must be considered alongside possible tradeoffs, including a firmer feel and a greater chance of visible or palpable rippling.

Saline vs. Silicone Breast Implants

The primary difference between saline and silicone breast implants is the material inside the shell. Saline implants contain sterile saltwater, while silicone implants are pre-filled with cohesive gel.

Silicone gel often feels more like natural breast tissue and may make implant folds less noticeable. Saline implants can feel firmer, especially when there is little natural tissue covering them. Implant placement may help soften their edges, but it cannot prevent rippling in every patient.

Incision planning also differs. An unfilled saline shell may be inserted through a shorter incision, while a silicone implant requires an opening large enough to accommodate its full size.

A saline rupture is usually apparent because the implant deflates and the breast becomes smaller. The body absorbs the saline, but the damaged shell still requires surgical removal. Silicone ruptures may not cause a visible change, which is why ultrasound or MRI monitoring may be recommended for silicone implants.

Who May Be a Candidate for Saline Implants?

Saline implants may be considered by healthy adults who understand how this implant type differs from silicone. Tissue thickness is particularly important because thin coverage can make the implant’s edges or folds easier to see or feel.

A suitable candidate may:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have enough natural tissue to cover the implant
• Want moderate control over implant volume during surgery
• Have minor differences in breast size
• Be comfortable with the possible feel and rippling of saline implants
• Understand that breast implants are not lifetime devices

Your preferred implant type is only one part of candidacy. Dr. Hardy must also assess your medical history, breast anatomy, skin elasticity, and expectations before recommending surgery.

How Dr. Hardy Selects Saline Breast Implants

Dr. James E. Hardy is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. His surgical training included Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Cooper University Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident.

Dr. Hardy evaluates chest width, existing breast volume, tissue thickness, skin elasticity, and asymmetry when selecting a saline implant. These factors help determine the appropriate base width, projection, and fill volume for the patient’s proportions.

Implant placement is also considered during planning. Dr. Hardy commonly uses a biplanar position beneath part of the pectoralis muscle during breast augmentation. The added tissue coverage may make a saline implant’s edges and folds less noticeable, although the best placement depends on the patient’s anatomy.

Our breast augmentation before-and-after gallery can help patients see how implant size and projection interact with different body proportions. Photographs can provide useful reference points during consultation, but individual results vary.

Saline Breast Implant FAQs

Compare Saline Implant Options in Jacksonville

Bring your questions about implant size, feel, and placement to a one-on-one evaluation with Dr. Hardy. He will assess your anatomy and explain whether saline implants fit your surgical plan. 

Contact James Hardy Plastic Surgery to request your consultation in Jacksonville.