Are Natrelle and Mentor Both Gummy Bear Silicone?

asked 1 year ago by Cupdi in San Francisco, CA
Latest answer by Jay H. Ross, MD
Question viewed 926 times
Tags: comparison, gummy bear implants, Mentor, Natrelle

What's the difference between the Mentor Memory Gel from the Allergan Natrelle Silicone Gel Breast Implant? Are they both like the Gummy Bear silicone? The one that even if you cut in half will still go back to its form. Memory gel sounds catchy. but is it same as the Natrelle Allergan because that's what I have now. How many years does the Allergan Natrelle Silicone Gel Breast Implant have till a possible revision?

8 answers to Are Natrelle and Mentor Both Gummy Bear Silicone?

"Gummy Bear" should not be equated with all silicone gel implants!

This is a common area of confusion for patients researching their options for breast augmentation surgery. It does not help that even some Plastic Surgeon websites perpetuate the confusion. Both Mentor and Allergan offer a family of silicone gel breast implant devices with different features. Cohesive silicone gel implants are available from both companies but only a few should be described as having a "gummy bear" consistency. Most of us are familiar with the look and... more

Mathew C. Mosher, MD
Vancouver Plastic Surgeon

www.drmosher.com

The Gummy Bear Breast Implant Is Not Yet Available For Breast Augmentation use

Both the Allergan Natrelle and Mentor's Memory Gel are what are known as second generation silicone gel breast implants. They are often confused with, and some plastic surgeons even market them, as being the gummy bear implant which they are not. Gummy bear breast implants are third generation silicone gel materials, which are more solid (highly cohesive), but are not yet available for patient use. While the manufacturers do market the Natrelle and Memory Gel implants as having an... more

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com

Breast Augmentation, Breast Enlargement, Breast Implants

The two companies Mentor and Allergan both make a great product. They have similar life time warranty and will stand by their products. I prefer the Mentor Memory Gel implants for my patients. The overall look is more natural and my patients all tell me they like the "natural look" in their breasts. The Mentor breast implants are manufactured in the United States, another plus.

Jay H. Ross, MD
Tampa Plastic Surgeon

Gummy Bear Implants

Gummy bear implants are not yet available to all surgeons. There are a few surgeons that offer these implants under an investigation protocol. I would recommend either Natrelle or Mentor regular gell implants which are FDA approved.

Arian Mowlavi, MD
Laguna Beach Plastic Surgeon

Differences between Allergan and Mentor silicone implants and "gummy bear" implants

Both the Mentor Memory Gel and the Allergan Natrelle silicone breast implants are cohesive silicone implants but are not the true "gummy bear" implants which are not available in America as they have not been approved by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration). The cohesive gel implant advantage over previous generation implants is that the gel is thick and taffy-like which minimizes even the microscopic migration of silicone particles elsewhere. There are proprietary differences... more

Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

The difference between Memory Gel, Natrelle, and "Gummy Bear" silicone implants.

All silicone breast implants are made with polydimethylsiloxane molecules cross-linked to each other. The fewer crosslinks, the more liquid (oily) the silicone is, and more crosslinking yields more and more cohesive silicone gels. The present fifth generation of silicone gel implants (Memory Gel by Mentor, or Natrelle by Allergan) are both cohesive gels that do not leak or exhibit "silicone bleed" from the implant shell beyond microscopic molecular amounts that are substantially... more

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.mpsmn.com

Natrelle and Memory Gel are not gummy bears

Both the Natrelle and the Memory Gel (the name is rather nice) are not highly cohesive breast implants known as gummy bear. Both implants perform very well, and are soft and blend well with the breast tissue. All implants will leak, including the gummy bear though with the latter the gel will not get beyond the capsule. The jury is still out on the advantage of a form stable cohesive implant for breast augmentation. Your Natrelle implant should last ten years plus. Best of luck... more