If you stay abreast of breast implant news, you have probably heard of “gummy bear” implants. No, the candy companies are not making the beloved candy anatomically correct. Rather these silicone gel implants (FDA approved in March, 2012) have earned their nickname for their form-stable consistency.
Gummy bear implants (a term coined by Dr. Grant Stevens) are manufactured by Sientra and are form-stable, meaning that if punctured, the gel stays intact. Similar to slicing a gummy bear in half, the two parts can stand alone. They are referred to as Style 5 implants and come in round and a more natural tear-drop shape.
Silicone gel implants are commonly used in breast augmentation today having been deemed safe by the FDA in 2006. Made of a cohesive gel, they are stronger than the previous silicone oil versions. Mentor and Allergan are the major suppliers of these “Style 4″ implants.
Dr. Gilbert Lee at Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa has this to say, “I just got back from our national Plastic Surgery Conference and attended a long training session on the use of the Sientra implants. Mind you they have just been released here in the US. So the long term experience with them is not known to the American Doctors. However, at the meeting one of the lecturers is a Swedish plastic Surgeon who has done thousands of these and it is his feeling that the biodimensional Sientra implant is a superior product to any other implant currently on the US market. Not my words but his.”
One of the most impressive features of gummy bear implants are that they maintain their shape over such an extended period of time. The less firm and cohesive the implant, the more subject it is to the rigors of gravity. Many seem to believe that gummy bear implants will stand up to the test of time more effectively than other silicone or saline implants, although of course none of them are permanent. Gummy bear implants will also hold their shape over time, and the tissue of the breast will conform to that shape, rather than the reverse. For all of these reasons, many women prefer gummy bear implants.
Other women seek out gummy bear implants because they are hoping the cohesive gel forms will help them avoid the rippling and folds that can occur with breast implants. These kinds of visible folds and ripples happen when the filling of breast implants moves around inside the envelope of the implant. Since gummy bear implants are more solid, this shifting is less likely to occur. Gummy bear implants are also characterized by tighter molecular bonds; this is what makes them more solid. Overall, then, these are less likely to produce unsightly ripples, dimples, and folds.
Breast augmentation remains the number one cosmetic surgery procedure with 307,000 performed in 2011. If you are chewing on the idea of breast augmentation yourself, keep in mind the gummy bear implants from Sientra, available now at Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa. Contact us for a consultation with 3D Computer Imaging showing you your Sientra gummy bear implant options.
