There are numerous differences between saline and silicone breast implants. All of these differences revolve around it being filled with essentially a water solution. One of these differences is that saline breasts can make a noise during the recovery process. For a period of time after surgery, these implants can be occasionally heard to be sloushing around. This results from a small amount of air being introduced into the implant during the intraoperative fill process with the saline solution. This little bit of air allows an air bubble to exist inside the implant, creating a source of noise from the water turbulence created with this small amount of space. A study has shown that it can occur with as little as 3cc of air in a 300cc implant (1% air volume) This noise is short-lived as the air bubble disappears through absorption within a few weeks after surgery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana