Scottsdale/Phoenix Arizona
Breast Augmentation with Silicone Gel Breast Implants

Fourteen years after the FDA first put a moratorium on the use of Silicone Gel Breast Implants, the FDA has finally completed its study of the implants, and on November 17, 2006, they announced that the implants will once again be available to women who want to use them for breast augmentation and reconstruction.

At this point, I think it is fair to say that breast implants are among the most studied medical devices ever, having gone through decades of research in thousands of women. Breast implants have been widely used, in millions of women, since the 1960's

As a surgeon, I would say the breast augmentation is among my favorite surgeries in terms of patient satisfaction. While we have learned how to use saline breast implants, especially since the ban on silicone gel breast implants at the beginning of the 1990's, silicone gel implants are softer, with a more natural feel and appearance.

Silicone gel breast implants require some different techniques for implantation than saline breast implants. As you do your research, remember to ask when your surgeon had his plastic surgical training. Remember that, if that training was in the 1990's or 2000's, after the FDA ban on silicone gel breast implants, your surgeon will not have had much experience with using silicone gel breast implants for primary (first time) breast augmentation. Dr. Nachbar had his plastic surgical residency at the University of Virginia from 1985-1988, well before the FDA ban on silicone gel breast implants.

There are two manufacturers whose silicone gel breast implants have been approved by the FDA: Allergan and Mentor

Here is some reference information from the manufacturers of these implants: