Sientra Breast Implants: What You Need to Know

Medically reviewed by Kamakshi Zeidler, MDBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon
Written byKaryn RepinskiUpdated on July 18, 2022
RealSelf ensures that an experienced doctor who is trained and certified to safely perform this procedure has reviewed this information for medical accuracy.You can trust RealSelf content to be unbiased and medically accurate. Learn more about our content standards.
Medically reviewed by Kamakshi Zeidler, MDBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon
Written byKaryn RepinskiUpdated on July 18, 2022
RealSelf ensures that an experienced doctor who is trained and certified to safely perform this procedure has reviewed this information for medical accuracy.You can trust RealSelf content to be unbiased and medically accurate. Learn more about our content standards.

Fast facts

98% Worth It rating based on 150 reviews

$6,850 average cost

1 week of downtime

General anesthesia


Sientra Breast Implants (Page Image)
Sientra Breast Implants (Page Image)

Sientra offers two different FDA-approved silicone gel breast implant options: round implants and teardrop-shaped implants. 

Both come in a variety of sizes, projections (how far forward they protrude from the chest wall), and surfaces (textured or smooth), to suit different body proportions and desired results, from a very natural look to a more dramatic enhancement. 

They’re also available in two types of highly cohesive silicone gel.

Cohesiveness, often explained as “gumminess,” refers to the silicone gel’s level of firmness—a result of how the silicone molecules are bonded. All Sientra breast implants are considered “gummy bear” implants (“form-stable” or “highly cohesive,” in medical language). This firm yet pliable form of silicone gel bounces back to its original shape after being touched, like gummy bear candy. 

Highly cohesive silicone gel implants were once thought to carry less risk of gel leakage and rippling, but this belief has not been supported by data, according to Dr. Kamakshi Zeidler, a plastic surgeon in Campbell, California. “The studies show equal rupture rates.” Dr. Zeidler also notes that “firm implants do not necessarily look or feel less natural,” another common myth about cohesive gel implants.

Sientra implants are approved for breast augmentation patients who are at least 22 years old, as well as for breast reconstruction patients of any age. They’re available only through board-certified plastic surgeons. 

Sientra’s round implants are available in:

  • six projections: low, low plus, moderate, moderate plus, high, and “Xtra” high
  • two surface types: microtextured or smooth 
  • two types of silicone gel: HSC (high-strength cohesive) and the slightly firmer HSC+

This cohesiveness provides shape retention and fullness, especially in the upper pole (the area above the nipple).

Teardrop-shaped Sientra implants are filled with HSC+ silicone gel and have a lightly textured surface, which is thought to help maintain the position of the implant. They come in:

  • two base shapes: the classic (curved) base and a round base
  • a wide variety of widths, heights, and projections, to help customize your result

Teardrop-shaped implants provide a natural look on patients with minimal breast tissue, as the tapered top can blend into the appearance of the chest wall.  

RealSelf Tip: Sientra round gel implants were approved for distribution in Canada in summer 2022, making Sientra the third silicone gel breast implant manufacturer to be approved for use there.

Interested in Sientra breast implants?

Find a Doctor Near You

Pros

  • Sientra implants add fullness, project, and shape to breasts, augmenting your natural breast tissue.
  • Sientra offers a warranty that many surgeons on RealSelf consider the best in the industry. It includes free lifetime replacement if your implant ruptures and free replacement if you develop capsular contracture within 20 years of getting your breast implant surgery. 
  • Their implants can also be used in breast reconstruction, for patients whose breasts are affected by cancer.
  • Sientra implants have two levels of gel cohesiveness, both designed to look and feel like natural breast tissue. Ask to feel each option during your consultation. 
  • This is the only brand of silicone gel breast implants that’s offered exclusively through board-certified or board-eligible plastic surgeons, a policy that helps ensure patient safety and results.

Cons

  • Breast implants aren’t expected to last a lifetime; breast augmentation is generally not a one-time procedure, and revision procedures have a higher risk of complications than an initial breast implant surgery.
  • All implants come with risks and potential complications. In fall 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the requirement of a black box warning and “patient decision checklist” that outlines these risks, which your plastic surgeon should review with you during your consultation.  
  • Mammography for detecting breast cancer (or cancer recurrence) can be more difficult with breast implants in place. Be sure to notify the technologist that you have breast implants prior to the procedure.

  • Average Cost:
  • $6,850
  • Range:
  • $5,499 - $12,000

Your price will depend on the type of Sientra implants you choose, the complexity of your procedure, your surgeon’s level of experience, and their practice location. 

Breast augmentation for cosmetic reasons is not covered by health insurance, but insurers are legally obligated to cover breast reconstruction with implants after cancer treatment, if that's your reconstruction method of choice.

You can finance your treatment with CareCredit.

Interested in Sientra breast implants?

Find a Doctor Near You

The Sientra breast implant photos in our gallery have been shared by the surgeon who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

All breast implants, including Sientra implants, must undergo at least one 10-year clinical study to demonstrate their safety and efficacy to the FDA, followed by “post-approval studies” to show that they continue to be safe. Clinical trials have shown that Sientra implants have some of the lowest rupture and capsular contracture rates among breast implant brands offered in the United States.

Textured implants have been linked with breast implant–associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), a rare form of cancer. However, Sientra textured implants are much more lightly textured than Allergan Natrelle BioCell textured implants, some of which were recalled in July 2019. Sientra implants were not recalled. 

The risk of developing BIA-ALCL is very low, and Sientra implants reportedly pose the lowest risk of all textured implants—1 in 80,000 patients with “microtextured” implants like Sientra, versus 1 in 5,000 with more highly textured implants, according to Dr. Christopher Pelletiere, a plastic surgeon in Inverness, Illinois.

Another potential concern of breast augmentation surgery is breast implant illness (BII). This condition is not yet well understood, but patients have reported a wide range of symptoms, from fatigue and muscle pain to hair loss and respiratory distress. There is limited research on BII, and it is not yet recognized as a true medical diagnosis. 

All breast implant brands now feature black box warnings disclosing the risks of both BII and BIA-ALCL. 

Be sure to thoroughly discuss your medical history, especially autoimmune disorders, and any concerns related to these breast implant-related conditions with your surgeon ahead of your plastic surgery procedure.

Sientra offers the most robust breast implantwarranty program of any company in the U.S. It applies to any breast augmentation surgery, revision surgery, or reconstruction procedure using the brand’s products, regardless of whether a patient has selected a round implant or teardrop-shaped implant. 

Here’s what it offers:

  • A lifetime warranty for free replacement in the event of implant rupture. 
  • In the case of complications relating to BIA-ALCL, double capsule, late-forming seroma, and advanced capsular contracture, patients are eligible for free replacement of their Sientra implants for up to 20 years. 
  • This 20-year warranty also offers financial assistance for uncovered fees and costs relating to implant rupture and BIA-ALCL. 
  • Finally, Sientra will provide up to $2,000 of financial assistance for uncovered fees and costs due to late-forming seroma, double capsule, and advanced capsular contracture for two years.

Learn more in our guide to breast implant warranties.

Updated July 18, 2022

0

From the manufacturer

See unrivaled safetyÂą, the most comprehensive 20-year warranty, and board-certified plastic surgeon exclusivity, so you know you'll be in the most qualified hands. Your high standards are our high standards.

Learn more about Sientra or find a board-certified plastic surgeon near you.

REFERENCES: 1. Stevens WG, Calobrace MB, Alizadeh A, Zeidler KR, Harrington JL, d’Incelli RC. Ten-year core study data for Sientra’s Food and Drug Administration—approved round and shaped breast implants with cohesive silicone gel. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018;141(4S):7S-19S.

From the manufacturer

See unrivaled safetyÂą, the most comprehensive 20-year warranty, and board-certified plastic surgeon exclusivity, so you know you'll be in the most qualified hands. Your high standards are our high standards.

Learn more about Sientra or find a board-certified plastic surgeon near you.

REFERENCES: 1. Stevens WG, Calobrace MB, Alizadeh A, Zeidler KR, Harrington JL, d’Incelli RC. Ten-year core study data for Sientra’s Food and Drug Administration—approved round and shaped breast implants with cohesive silicone gel. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018;141(4S):7S-19S.

Real Sientra Breast Implants results

Real Sientra Breast Implants results

Watch these videos from Sientra Breast Implants

See Yourself in Sientra

The highest-rated silicone gel breast implant brand on RealSelf.*

*As of March 2021

Why choose a board-certified plastic surgeon? with Dr. Brad Calobrace

SEE SURGEON EXCLUSIVITY. Dr. Bradley Calobrace discusses the importance of board-certification when choosing a surgeon. Board-certification ensures a standard of training has been achieved, including written and oral examinations, prior to treating patients on their own. Only Sientra implants are available exclusively through board-certified plastic surgeons who are required to complete 14 years of formalized training and experience. You can trust if a surgeon offers Sientra, they are board-certified.

Dr. Brad Calobrace, M.D. – Louisville, KY, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon and Sientra Advisory Board Member

Why choose Sientra® breast implants? with Dr. Ashley Gordon

SEE PATIENT SATISFACTION. We love that board-certified plastic surgeons trust Sientra® implants for themselves and their patients! Dr. Ashley Gordon is not only a board-certified plastic surgeon, but she is also a Sientra patient. When it came time for her to have an implant exchange, she chose Sientra breast implants because of the HSC+ Gel, unrivaled safety profile¹ and the low complication rates.

Dr. Ashley Gordon, M.D. – Austin, TX, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon and Sientra Advisory Board Member. Not compensated for this video.

1. Stevens WG et al. Ten-year core study data for Sientra’s Food and Drug Administration—approved round and shaped breast implants with cohesive silicone gel. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018;141(4S):7S-19S.

2. Calobrace MB et al. Long-term safety of textured and smooth breast implants. Aesth Surg. 2017;1-11.(4S):7S-19S.


0

Related stories from RealSelf News

11 Celebrities with Breast Implants—and What They Said About the Procedure
Motiva Implants Are Among the Safest On the Market—Here’s Why
I’ve Had More Than a Dozen Breast Surgeries In 27 Years
5 Things You Need to Know About Your Breast Reconstruction Options
SPONSORED

Sientra Breast Implants doctors near you