A very common question that most breast augmentation patients ask during a consultation is…how much do breast implants weigh….and which weighs more, silicone or saline breast implants? This question is one of more interest than importance as there are many more relevant issues in deciding between these two implant filler materials than their weight.
By weight measurements, silicone gel implants weigh more than saline. This is somewhat obvious by having one in each hand and feeling the weight difference. Although it is a common misconception than saline implants weigh more. The fact that weight differences exist can be gleaned from a simplistic look at the periodic table of elements. Silicon occupies the 14th position and is of the metalloid category of elements. Hydrogen is the first element and oxygen is number 8. Silicone gel is a combination of silicone (14) and oxygen (8), silicone dioxide, for a total atomic weight of 30 compared to saline (water) which is a combination of hydrogen (1) and two oxygens (8 x 2 = 16) for an atomic weight of 17. Although saline also includes the elements of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl), which would add more weight than just hydrogen and two oxygen alone, its concentration is only 0.9%. For the sake of simplicity, we will discard this minute amount elements and treat the weight as pure water. (at higher concentrations such 3% as in the Dead Sea, this would be a different matter)
But how significant are the weight differences? One cc of silicone gel weighs 0.0375 ounces. For example, a 400cc silicone gel implant would then weigh 15 ozs. (0.94 lbs) and a pair would weigh 30 ozs. or 1.875 pounds. Conversely, a cc of saline weighs 0.0325 ozs. A 400cc saline implant would then weigh 13 ounces (0.81 lbs.) and a pair would weigh 26 ounces or 1.62 lbs. The difference at 400cc would be around 0.2 pounds or about 3 ozs.
As one get smaller or bigger in implant size the differences in weight between saline and silicone breast implants becomes smaller or greater. At 200cc size implants it is a mere 1.5 ozs, but at 600cc implants this difference becomes closer to a 1/4 of a lb.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana