Sloshing

When Your Implants Make Noise

To help you be more prepared for breast augmentation surgery, Dr. Loftus has provided information on the risk of sloshing fluid within breast implants after breast augmentation surgery. Breast implant sloshing occurs only with saline breast implants.

Because saline has the consistency of water, it may slosh when you move. If so, sloshing is usually only perceived by the woman with the implants. It might be loud or distracting to the woman, but others will not usually hear it. Silicone, because it is more viscous, does not slosh.

Regardless of whether a woman chooses silicone breast implants or saline breast implants, she will likely have temporary sloshing of the breast within the first few weeks of surgery, but the reason for this is different. Following surgery, as a response to healing, the human body usually fills the space around the implant with clear liquid called serous fluid that may slosh. As the body heals, it reabsorbs the serous fluid, and in the process, sloshing resolves.