Will The Overlying Soft Tissues Slide Around With Silicone Facial Implants?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Will the soft tissues slid around over silicone facial implants since the tissue do not adhere to them? I am worried that my soft tissues will move around and fall off the implants and look funny if there is no direct tissue adherence to them.  

A: While the overlying soft tissues do not directly adhere to the silicone facial implant’s surface (unless perfusion holes are placed in them which is why I almost always do them), a firm capsule of scar develops around a silicone facial implant to which the overlying soft tissues are attached. Thus the importance of soft tissues adhering directly to the implant is really overstated/unnecessary and why soft tissues do not slide around over even a silicone implant. It is all about the biology of the capsular formation and understanding what it does.

The answer to this question is actually also known using another far more commonly done and familiar silicone implant, breast implants. While breast implants are not solid implants the encapsulation process keeps the soft tissue from moving excessively over and around the implants. This makes the implant feel like it is integrated or adhered to the soft tissues. 

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana