Introduction
Silicones are attracting a lot of interest from plastic surgeons. For some operations, their use has become standard practice, and their prospective applications are expanding quickly. So now is a good time to talk about the different kinds of silicones that are out there and their uses.
The materials that makeup silicones are wholly synthetic and are not found in nature. Despite being polymers, their chemical composition considerably differs from that of plastics. The silicones are built on a backbone of alternate silicon and oxygen atoms, unlike the latter, which are based on long carbon chains. Two organic groups are joined to each silicon atom. These two groups are two methyl groups in the most basic silicones, but they can also be other groups, such as phenyls. Therefore, while having the diversity of organic plastics, silicones offer the inertness and durability of inorganic materials.
How Silicon Is Used in Silicone Breast Implants?
Silicone is most famously used in breast surgery as breast implants. Breast implants are surgically inserted medical devices that either enlarge the breasts or assist in reconstructing the breast after a mastectomy (breast cancer surgery by which the affected breast will be removed). Saline or silicone gel are the two filling options for breast implants. The exterior shells of both implant types are silicone. Implants classified as silicone have an interior filling of silicone. They are widely used and available in a variety of textures, volumes, and shapes. Conventional silicone gel can result in a slow, silent leak that can only be found with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Gummy bear implants (tear-shaped implants) are the more recent and more cohesive silicone implants. Even if there is a tear, they will keep their shape intact and do not leak.
Every five to six years following implantation and then every two years beyond, patients with silicone gel-filled breast implants should take a magnetic resonance imaging scanning. The MRI checks for silent ruptures, or silicone leaks from the implant into the surrounding tissue. The MRI can identify a rupture in the outer shell, thus this guideline also applies to gummy bear implants.
What Are the Uses of Silicone?
Following are some of the uses of silicone implants:
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Tissue Expansion: Implants used to enlarge tissue are transitory and empty. These implants are inserted beneath the skin by a surgeon; silicone and saline or carbon dioxide are gradually injected into them over time. A self-sealing valve on the expander allows for gradual filling. For a few months, a person must schedule appointments every one to two weeks.
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Breast Augmentation: Silicone gel filling is used to create silicone implants. The majority of people think silicone breast implants feel and look more like real breasts. Those who are 22 years old and older can get silicone breast implants for breast enlargement. They are accessible for breast reconstruction at any age.
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Chin and Nasal Augmentation: For individuals who have low nose height as a result of congenital anomalies, trauma, infection, excessive reduction rhinoplasty, or submucosal excision, augmentation rhinoplasty refers to the procedure that uses autogenous tissues or implants. Silicone or saline gel is highly preferred by surgeons in this case.
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Penis and Testicular Implants: Two rigid, flexible silicone rods make up a non-inflatable penile implant. This kind of apparatus doesn't need to be pumped. Pressing on the penis will expand the rod into place in order to use the implant. The implant can be used for as long as necessary; even after an orgasm, the hardness remains constant.
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Facial Prostheses: The prostheses can either be osseointegrated (integrated with the bone) or tightly fitting, and they are created to order and are sculpted, and colored to closely resemble the anatomy of the structure they are replacing. They primarily serve as aesthetic complements, although they may also serve a very small purpose.
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Keloid Treatment: For many years, silicone dressings have been utilized to treat keloids (thick and raised scars) and hypertrophic scars. This method of treatment is thought to be both secure and effective, as it causes a gradual improvement in the scar's color, size, erythema (redness), pliability, pain, and itching. Its mode of action involves hydrating the skin's corneal layer and modifying cytokine-mediated cell communication between fibroblasts and keratinocytes. For hypertrophic scars and keloids, silicone dressings are recommended as the initial line of treatment.
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Hand Surgery: The phrase "hand surgery" refers to a wide range of operations done to the upper extremity or the hand. Hand surgeries are performed by plastic surgeons with the goal of regaining finger and hand function. Yet, hand surgeons also work to restore the hand's natural appearance. Silicone has been a very good option for replacing the human body's missing or damaged components.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Silicone?
Following are some of the advantages of silicone:
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Extremely biocompatible, nontoxic, inert, and allergic-free.
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Unaffected by resorption.
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Simple sterilization.
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Has no known links to systemic illnesses like breast cancer, neurologic illness, or autoimmune connective tissue disease.
Some main disadvantages are:
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Non-incorporated rigid fibrous encapsulation that is non-porous, at times unpleasant, and disfiguring.
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Expanders and implants are very costly.
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Smoothness is more likely to extrude, and displacement causes removal.
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Low tensile strength causes silicone rubber to easily tear.
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It may be challenging to remove the silicone gel from delicate tissue if the silicone rubber shell diffuses or ruptures. In order to increase strength, an amorphous silica filler has been added to the fully polymerized silicone used to create the shell.
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Fluid silicone was never used as an injectable soft-tissue filler because it caused a significant tissue response and silicone migration.
Conclusion
Silicone implants play an important role in modern medicine or cosmetic and esthetic fields. Due to their ability to conform the shape as closely as possible to the anatomical one, they are the safest and most comfortable to use. Silicone is an inorganic, inert, and durable material and plays an important role as an implant, in prosthetic treatments or surgeries, or as a filler. It is essential to have an idea about their advantages and disadvantages before choosing the treatment.
