Gummy Bear Breast Implants vs Saline or Silicone?

The type of breast implant used is one of the most
important decisions facing patients undergoing breast augmentation surgery.
Recently, cohesive gel implants have been introduced as an alternative to
silicone and saline implants. These implants which are also known as gummy bear
implants have a higher density silicone gel with a greater number of cross
links. The implants are shaped and texturized to maintain their position.

These implants have several advantages and are
especially helpful in women with small breasts. Under these circumstances they
are less likely to have ripples or develop capsular contractures. They are
associated with a natural shape and high patient satisfaction rates. When these
implants rupture, the silicone doesn’t migrate into the surrounding tissue
because of the gels thickness.

Although gummy bear implants have several advantages
they also have disadvantages, these include firmness and the maintenance of the
same shape regardless of the patient’s positioning. In addition, these implants
can rotate which causes malposition of the implant and distortion of the
breast.

It’s important to realize that each patient has specific
anatomic findings and unique aesthetic goals that effect the choice of implant.
For this reason it’s important to discuss this decision with a  board-certified
plastic surgeon. 

Gummy Bear breast implants are a 5th generation highly-cohesive silicone gel implant.  What this means is that the silicone in the implants are no longer liquid, but a highly cross linked silicone which is like a gel.  Therefore, when one of these implants are cut in half, they do not leak and they maintain their form and shape.  If a rupture occurs, the silicone does not leak into the surrounding tissues or migrate to lymph nodes like older implants. Also, there is less chance of rippling with these types of implants because they keep their shape better.  They are a little more firm and that can be a drawback for some and an advantage for others.  There are round and shaped anatomic (tear drop shaped) gummy bear implants.  Saline implants do not look or feel as natural as silicone implants in the majority of cases. Seek a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon, by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, in order to discuss which implant is best for you. 

"Gummy Bear" breast implants are silicone gel implants.  The silicone gel in the "gummy bear" implants is more cohesive than traditional silicone gel implants, meaning there are a greater number of cross-linkages among the silicone molecules.  The greater cohesiveness of the "gummy bear" or cohesive implants allows them to maintain their shape better, thus giving breast implant manufacturers the option of more aggressively shaping the implants, so that, for instance, the lower pole of the implant can have more projection than the upper pole, thus avoiding the appearance of a "shelf" that can sometimes be seen in patients who have undergone breast augmentation.  The increased cohesiveness also means that silicone gel is less likely to leak from the breast implant should a tear occur in the shell surrounding the gel inside the implant.  However, because these "anatomic" breast implants are shaped and not round, they must be placed precisely in a tight breast pocket that prevents them from rotating off the midline, as this may make the breast look cockeyed or misshapen.  It is for this reason that most of the anatomic cohesive gel breast implants that we place in our patients have a textured shell that attaches to the scar tissue, or capsule, that forms around the breast implant, thus fixing the implant in place, and preventing its rotation