(Vocus/PRWEB ) July 28, 2009 -- In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of silicone breast implants for breast augmentation in women over 22 and breast reconstruction procedures for women of any age. This decision came after years of rigorous study to examine the safety of the implants after controversy in the early 1990's caused them to be pulled from the market. Dr. David L. Durst is cofounder of a Huntsville, Alabama cosmetic plastic surgery practice. During the moratorium on silicone breast implants, Dr. Durst participated in the FDA's adjunct study on their safety. Dr. Durst says now that the implants have been approved for widespread use, he thinks that patients have an option that offers them many benefits. "At this point in time, the data suggests that silicone implants are every bit as safe as saline implants. There are some slight differences between the implants, and in some patients silicone and saline implants will work equally well, but there are clearly some situations where silicone implants work better."

Dr. Durst says silicone implants feel more natural than their saline counterparts, and are less prone to visible wrinkling and rippling. He says since the FDA's approval, there has been a progressive increase in the percentages of silicone implants utilized across the country, his own practice in particular. "It is in the 60-70% range. Most patients can see and feel the difference between the silicone and saline implants and are choosing what I believe to be the more natural option."

Dr. Durst has even had quite a few of his Huntsville, Alabama breast augmentation patients convert their saline implants to silicone for a more natural look and feel. He says although all medical implants can carry some associated risks, extensive studies were performed over a number of years and that silicone implants were determined to be just as safe as saline implants, and they do not seem to cause any unusual medical diseases or cancer. "At this point, I think we can say that silicone implants are every bit as safe as saline implants and certainly as safe as almost all medical implants."

Dr. Durst gives each person considering breast augmentation or breast reconstruction an extensive overview of the procedure at the patient's initial consultation, providing them with silicone implants to hold and feel so they can compare them to saline implants. He also uses this time to describe the risks and benefits of both implants and address any concerns the patient may have. Dr. Durst says that, in general, his patients have been extremely satisfied with silicone implants. "Ultimately, I think that, long-term, the benefits of utilizing silicone implants will be confirmed in more and more patients, resulting in a more widespread use in the future."

About David L. Durst, MD Dr. David L. Durst is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and is a member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He has been in private practice since 1987, and is co-founder of the Cosmetic Surgery Center of Huntsville, a facility certified by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities. The AAAASF if the leading accreditation organization for office surgery ? only facilities which adhere to the highest standards of safety and care are certified.

For more information on breast implants in Huntsville, Alabama, Dr. Durst can be reached at 4011 Balmoral Dr., Huntsville, Alabama 35801 ? (256) 881-4200, or via his website at www.drdurst.net.