Why Surgeons Choose to Overfill
 

Overfilling saline breast implants has several practical benefits such a giving the implants a longer lifespan, reducing the amount of wrinkles, reducing the possibility of premature failure and more.

Every saline breast implant has a general “optimal” volume of saline fill, which is essentially a volume that provides a healthy balance between the implant either wrinkling (caused by insufficient amounts of saline) or being too firm or round (caused by unnecessarily large amounts of saline); the majority of the time, a surgeon will reach the optimum volume by overfilling the saline breast implants.

What does overfilling saline breast implants entail?
 

First of all, it is important to note that overfill does not make your breasts look larger, and certainly does not mean that your breasts will look larger than what you had desired. On the contrary, overfilling saline breast implants simply means filling an implant to a volume that is larger than the manufacturers’ maximum recommended level.

So if the manufacturer sets a maximum recommended level, why might your surgeon choose to overfill your saline breast implants?

The problem with many implants available on the market today (not all) is that the manufacturers have registered that maximum volumes too low with the FDA; usually, below the optimum. As a result, if your surgeon chooses to fill the implant within the manufacturer’s recommended range for these implants, they will noticeably wrinkle due to insufficient amounts of saline. Furthermore, women who encounter trouble with wrinkling due to their implants not being filled to their optimal volume may need an additional operation to add that critical tablespoon of saltwater that makes all the difference. Yes, you read correctly. The deciding factor as to whether or not you may need an additional operation could be a tablespoon of saltwater.

The difference between an insufficient volume and the optimal volume is astoundingly small (in the vicinity of 10%), which is usually equivalent to a tablespoon or two of saline. Another factor as to why your surgeon may opt for overfilling saline breast implants is that, despite the fact that the volume will exceed the manufacturer’s recommended volume, filling the implant to its optimum level actually helps the implants last longer. Wrinkling often leads to premature and unexpected failure due to the high amounts of stress it causes at the folds and wrinkles of the implant. Research has shown that overfilling saline breast implants to their optimal level, by reducing wrinkling, actually helps the implant last longer.

Does Overfilling Saline Breast Implants Increase Ruptures?

A benefit of saline breast implants is that if an implant ruptures, the saline is naturally absorbed into the body with no detrimental health risks. However, it is also important to note that overfilling saline breast implants will not make the possibility of the implant rupturing more probable. Furthermore, surgeons who fill implants to the optimal level are free to place the saline breast implant either over or under the muscle with no significant difference in rippling (insufficiently filled implants are limited to being placed underneath the muscle to reduce wrinkling).

If you are considering overfilling your saline breast implants, or have been recommended to do so by your surgeon, remember that it does not mean that your breasts will look larger than your desired size, nor does it mean that they are more likely to rupture. Furthermore, you will have considerably less wrinkling, have the freedom of choosing where to place the implant, and the implants will be less likely to prematurely fail. Most importantly, remember that implants must be individualized for each patient, so it is highly important that any concerns or questions are discussed with your surgeon.