(Reriani Communications)--- 2006 marked the turning point in a controversy that had spanned nearly 15 years. That was the year the FDA decided to approve the use of silicone breast implants in breast enlargement procedures for patients over the age of 22, and in breast reconstruction procedures for patients of any age. After silicone breast implants were pulled from the market in 1991 to give researchers time to conduct intensive studies of their safety, saline implants became the norm for breast augmentation procedures. Now, three years after the FDA’s decision, Fort Lauderdale plastic surgeon Robert E. Rothfield, MD says the agency did the right thing. “Silicone implants are safe and were allowed back into the United States for general use by the FDA. Silicone implants are among the most studied medical devices of all time. There is no data that links silicone breast implants with any disease or medical illness.”
Dr. Rothfield is the Founder of Weston Plastic Surgery, Inc, a practice offering plastic surgery in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding region. He says while both saline and silicone implants have benefits, he prefers silicone breast implants because of their more natural feel and appearance.
“I use both saline and silicone implants but, in general, prefer silicone. I believe the shape and feel of silicone implants are superior to saline. Although I performed hundreds of saline breast implants, most with beautiful results, during the period of the silicone moratorium – from July, 1994 to November, 2006 - I nevertheless prefer silicone today.”
Dr. Rothfield says he sees about 60 to 40 percent ratio between patients opting for silicone implants versus saline implants at Weston Plastic Surgery. He believes both types of breast implant offer their own distinct advantages. “The benefits of silicone include a better feel and shape, particularly in thin patients. Another advantage of silicone implants is that with the current generation of silicone (MemoryGel) in which the silicone filling is a semi-solid (cohesive) rather than a semi-liquid as they had been in the past, loss of shape from leaking will not occur. With saline implants, a leak will cause an immediate deflation of the breast. [But there is still a role for saline implants and in some patients they may be superior. They are not pre-filled, so they can be folded and placed via a smaller incision than silicone; they are less expensive; and saline breast implants are approved for patients under 22.”
Dr. Rothfield says silicone breast implants offer a subtler feel, more like normal tissue. Which may be why it is extremely common for patients at his Fort Lauderdale breast augmentation surgery practice to switch to silicone implants, after they have already had saline implants in place for some time. “This is particularly so in thin patients who do not like the feel of their saline implants. It is also common among patients that want or need to change implants for a variety of reasons, and for whom, saline implants were placed because silicone was not an option when they initially had their surgery. These patients all describe a softer and more natural feel to the silicone implant as compared to their saline implants.”
Dr. Rothfield says, since the moratorium has been lifted, and cohesive MemoryGel silicone breast implants are less prone to leakage even if they break, more and more patients have their concerns allayed once they meet with him and discuss their options. “The biggest concerns that my patients have regarding silicone is its safety. As I mentioned, all of the numerous studies and data have shown the silicone implants to be safe. The unanimous feeling of every patient that has switched from saline to silicone implants is that the silicone implants feel more natural than their previous saline implants.”
About Dr. Robert E. Rothfield
Robert E. Rothfield, MD, FACS has been in private practice for more than 15 years, and serves as the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Memorial West Hospital in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He is board-certified in both plastic surgery and otolaryngology (head and neck surgery). Dr. Rothfield is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Southeast Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the Florida Medical Association, the Broward County Society of Plastic Surgeons, and other professional medical organizations. Dr. Rothfield performs surgical procedures only in facilities that are fully accredited and run by a hospital. He is affiliated with Memorial West Hospital – Pembroke Pines, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital – Hollywood; Memorial Hospital Miramar; the Surgery Center of Weston; and the Memorial West Same Day Surgery Center. Dr. Rothfield is involved in every aspect of patient care, from pre-operative consultations to post-operative follow-up examinations.
For more information on silicone breast implants or other procedures available from Weston Plastic Surgery, the practice can be reached at 2300 N. Commerce Parkway, Suite 202, Weston, Florida 33326 – (954) 389-7999; or at Dr. Rothfield’s Pembroke Pines office at 601 N. Flamingo Road, Suite 303, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33028 – (954) 430-3933. www.westonplasticsurgery.com
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