“What is the safest breast implant on the market?”
I want to get breast implants. What is the safest breast implant on the market?
3 Answers
Hi
Thank you for your question. I would recommend either Allergan or mentor implants. I use Allergan in my practice. More gel to shell ratio. If I could be of any further assistance please reach out through my website www.drkotis.com or instagram kotisplasticsurgery. Thank you for your question.
Dr. Kotis
Thank you for your question. I would recommend either Allergan or mentor implants. I use Allergan in my practice. More gel to shell ratio. If I could be of any further assistance please reach out through my website www.drkotis.com or instagram kotisplasticsurgery. Thank you for your question.
Dr. Kotis
All of the major implants available in the U.S. are safe, rest assured. I have and continue to use all the major brands: Mentor, Allergan, Sientra, and (rarely) Ideal. I've actually been to Mentor's factory in Irving, Texas twice, and can speak to the safety and care that goes into the production of their devices.
I have to say, though, from the data, that Sientra seems to be holding up with the best 10-year track record, at least on the major long-term complications that we track, rupture and capsular contracture (or 'cap con').
As of now, I offer SMOOTH implants to my patients this way:
* Breast reconstruction: I use Allergan because I like their temporary SMOOTH saline tissue expander system and the stiffness (cohesivity) of their SMOOTH gel implants, particularly for folks losing their breasts (getting mastectomy), where they are "all implant" (no breast tissue left).
* Breast augmentation (cosmetic): I'm favoring Sientra due to their favorable data. I devoted a year of my training to aesthetic plastic surgery, where we were nearly exclusively using Sientra devices, and I've found them to exhibit excellent long-term results and safety.
* Breast revision (reconstructive or cosmetic): if someone really wanted to stick with Mentor because of warranty or comfort using them, I am more than happy to continue with Mentor. I spent my whole 6-year residency in California utilizing ONLY Mentor implants, so I'm comfortable with them and still consider them safe. But I DO also look at the long-term data for capsular contracture and rupture, and as of 2022, Sientra seems to be winning out right now.
If your concern is breast implant-associated large cell lymphoma (BI-ALCL), rest assured that with SMOOTH implants, your risk is essentially ZERO, with the currently available international data. I NO LONGER offer textured (a.k.a. grippy-surfaced) implants in my practice for this reason. I'm more than happy to use Allergan's devices, so long as I'm using only smooth tissue expanders and smooth silicone gel devices. Stay tuned for more papers and data with head-to-head comparisons!
I have to say, though, from the data, that Sientra seems to be holding up with the best 10-year track record, at least on the major long-term complications that we track, rupture and capsular contracture (or 'cap con').
As of now, I offer SMOOTH implants to my patients this way:
* Breast reconstruction: I use Allergan because I like their temporary SMOOTH saline tissue expander system and the stiffness (cohesivity) of their SMOOTH gel implants, particularly for folks losing their breasts (getting mastectomy), where they are "all implant" (no breast tissue left).
* Breast augmentation (cosmetic): I'm favoring Sientra due to their favorable data. I devoted a year of my training to aesthetic plastic surgery, where we were nearly exclusively using Sientra devices, and I've found them to exhibit excellent long-term results and safety.
* Breast revision (reconstructive or cosmetic): if someone really wanted to stick with Mentor because of warranty or comfort using them, I am more than happy to continue with Mentor. I spent my whole 6-year residency in California utilizing ONLY Mentor implants, so I'm comfortable with them and still consider them safe. But I DO also look at the long-term data for capsular contracture and rupture, and as of 2022, Sientra seems to be winning out right now.
If your concern is breast implant-associated large cell lymphoma (BI-ALCL), rest assured that with SMOOTH implants, your risk is essentially ZERO, with the currently available international data. I NO LONGER offer textured (a.k.a. grippy-surfaced) implants in my practice for this reason. I'm more than happy to use Allergan's devices, so long as I'm using only smooth tissue expanders and smooth silicone gel devices. Stay tuned for more papers and data with head-to-head comparisons!
There is really no "safest" breast implant ... otherwise everyone would use the same one. Mentor and Allergan implants make up the vast majority of breast implants used in the United States these days, though.
When deciding what implant is best for you, the first decision you need to make is saline versus silicone. Everyone is familiar with the controversy years ago when the silicone implants "bled" liquid silicone into the implant capsule and caused higher rates of contracture. The implants currently in use have much lower rupture rates, less "bleeding" of silicone through the shell, and last longer than the implants used way back then. I use Allergan or Mentor silicone gel filled implants for at least 90 percent of my augmentations. But for some patients saline is absolutely the way to go - maybe they have had silicone implants and want to change to saline, or maybe they're just concerned about the safety issues that are reported in the popular press.
Read up on the different implants and talk to your doctor during your consultation to see which implant is best for you. And if your doctor doesn't spend enough time with you to go over all of your questions, get out of there and find someone who has the time for to go over everything you need to discuss, in order to make an informed choice.
Good luck - I hope you have a great experience and result!
When deciding what implant is best for you, the first decision you need to make is saline versus silicone. Everyone is familiar with the controversy years ago when the silicone implants "bled" liquid silicone into the implant capsule and caused higher rates of contracture. The implants currently in use have much lower rupture rates, less "bleeding" of silicone through the shell, and last longer than the implants used way back then. I use Allergan or Mentor silicone gel filled implants for at least 90 percent of my augmentations. But for some patients saline is absolutely the way to go - maybe they have had silicone implants and want to change to saline, or maybe they're just concerned about the safety issues that are reported in the popular press.
Read up on the different implants and talk to your doctor during your consultation to see which implant is best for you. And if your doctor doesn't spend enough time with you to go over all of your questions, get out of there and find someone who has the time for to go over everything you need to discuss, in order to make an informed choice.
Good luck - I hope you have a great experience and result!
