Gummy bear silicone breast implants, or form stable cohesive gel implants, are the most recent generation of silicone breast implants to be approved by the FDA. The popularity of gummy bear implants has dramatically risen over the last year. That being said, many patients truly don’t understand what makes these implants different from saline breast implants or earlier generations of silicone implants. In this blog post, Dr. Sam Jejurikar, Dallas board certified plastic surgeon, provides a general overview of the pros and cons of form stable gummy bear silicone breast implants.
Pros
Firmer shape and feel – Gummy bear silicone implants hold their shape, meaning that your plastic surgeon can use the implant to shape the breast. Saline or earlier generation silicone breast implants, are more easily deformed, meaning they are more likely to be shaped by gravity and the breast skin and soft tissue; this is the opposite of what you see with gummy bear implants.
Virtually no folds or rippling – because the form stable cohesive gel does not shift within the breast implant shell, folds are much less likely to occur.
Capsular contracture – Data demonstrates a much lower rate of capsular contracture (pathologic scar tissue around a breast implant) with these implants as compared to saline or earlier generation silicone breast implants.
No leakage – Although the breast implant shell can break, the highly cohesive nature of the silicone within means it should not leak out of the breast. Doesn’t make sense – look at the video that follows.
Cons
Firmer Feel – Some women view this as a con, although its also definitely a pro (see above). These implants feel a little bit more firm than earlier generations of silicone. Younger patients with fuller and firmer breasts don’t tend to notice this as much. Women who have lost massive amounts of weight or whose breasts have stretched considerably after pregnancy are more likely to perceive these implants as firm. A firm breast, however, should not be confused with a hard breast; the firm feel from a gummy bear implant feels simulates youthful breast tissue, making it more of a pro than a con!
Cost – Gummy bear silicone implants costs approximately twice as much as saline implants.
Larger Incision – Because these implants are firm and cannot be deformed, incisions need to be slightly larger. They generally range between 4.5 cm to 5.0 cm. Because of this, incisions within the armpit often times become larger than desirable. Furthermore, depending on the size of the patient’s areola, an incision around the areola may be exceedingly difficult.
Incision location – An inframammary incision (crease at the base of the breast) really gives the surgeon the best visibility to place a gummy bear silicone implant. Also, given the larger length incision required to place these implants, it is reliably camouflaged, which is not always the case with incisions within the armpit or around the areola. Conclusive data in the plastic surgery literature demonstrates a far lower rate of capsular contracture (pathologic scar tissue formation around breast implants) for implants placed through an inframammary incision. For these reasons, although not the only choice, the inframammary incision tends to be the preferred choice for patients undergoing breast augmentation with gummy bear implants.
If you would like to learn more, contact Dr. Sam Jejurikar’s office at 214-827-2814 or click here.