silicone
Meaning of silicone: Silicone is a synthetic, chemically stable material used across many medical devices, not only as a breast implant component.
Definition of silicone
Silicone is a synthetic material made from repeating chains built around the element silicon, engineered to be chemically stable and resistant to breakdown within the body. Depending on how it is manufactured, silicone can take the form of a flexible gel, a firmer solid, or a smooth outer coating.
Because silicone tends to be well tolerated by body tissue and resists degradation over time, it is used across a wide range of medical devices, including as both the outer shell and inner filling of some breast implants, as the material for many catheters and drainage tubes, and as a component of certain joint implants and contact lenses. Silicone sheeting and gel are also applied externally to help manage the appearance of certain scars.
Because silicone is used in so many different medical products, its presence in a device says little on its own about that device's purpose, which depends on how the silicone has been shaped and combined with other materials.
Used in a sentence
The catheter was made of a flexible silicone material designed for long-term placement.
Good to know
Silicone appears in many medical devices well beyond breast implants, including catheters and joint implants, so its presence in a product does not by itself indicate the product's intended medical use.