What are the two common types of breast implants?

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Breast implants are categorized by what fills them. The two common types are saline-filled and silicone gel-filled implants. Saline implants have a silicone shell that is filled with sterile saline; if the implant leaks, the saline is harmlessly absorbed by the body and the breast deflates, which is usually noticeable right away. Silicone gel implants use a cohesive silicone gel inside a silicone shell, and they tend to feel more like natural tissue even if the shell is compromised, though rupture can be harder to detect and often requires imaging to confirm. Among the options, this pairing of saline and silicone gel captures the widely used materials for implants. Hydrogel and polypropylene aren’t standard implant materials, and fat grafts are not implants at all.