Breast implant research: where we have been, where we are, where we need to go.

This article summarizes the current state and future needs of research into saline-filled and silicone gel breast implants. The authors describe recent investigations into possible causes and potential risk factors for silicone gel and saline implant failure. Also discussed are local complications of breast implantation and the need for revisional operations in augmentation and reconstruction patients. In addition, the effects that surgical, implant, and patient variables have on the aesthetic outcome of surgery are addressed. The last portion of the article lays out future research needs, such as determining the incidence rate of implant failure, reducing the frequency of revisional surgery, and the difficulty of designing better breast implants in the current strict regulatory climate.