Breast augmentation has become the second most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure after liposuction, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. There has been  over 600 percent increase in such surgeries since 1992.

Prior to 1992, two types of breast implants were available. Both had an outer silicone shell filled with either silicone gel or saline (sterile salt water). But since 1992, most of the breast implants have been of the saline variety Saline-filled implants are believed to be safer than silicone because rupture or leakage will only release salt water--not silicone gel--into the body. The products are approved for breast augmentation in women 18 years or older and for breast reconstruction in women of all ages.

Safety
Breast implants had been on the market for more than a decade in 1976 . Yet, these products do have risks. Breast implants are artificial medical devices--and no medical device functions as well, lasts as long, nor is as safe as the biological body part it replaces.

Like their silicone counterparts, saline breast implants can rupture, ripple, harden, change shape, and shift position. They can also cause infection, pain, and loss of feeling in the nipple or tissue of the breast. And they can interfere with breast-feeding and the detection of breast cancer.