Do Gummy Bear Implants Feel Harder?

Question

Do Gummy Bear breast implants feel harder than the current Memory Gel Implants?

Steven Teitelbaum, MD · Answer

It may be a question of semantics, but they tend to be firmer, but they are not by any means hard.
As a matter of fact, their capsular contracture rate is up to 75% lower than standard gel, so in a sense they are less likely "to get hard."
The firmness, however, is where they get their advantages.  If you want an implant to maintain a shape, to be less likely to ripple, to be less likely to break, for the gel to be less prone to migrate if it does break, then the device needs to feel a bit firmer.
The firmness issue is only a problem in women with loose and somewhat floppy breasts.  It is never an issue in a firmer, younger breast.
So for a thin, young, small breasted woman who has not had a baby, they feel very much like her own tissue.  But they are firmer in someone with looser and more mobile or pendulous breasts.  The latter group of women is a group that I warn about the firmness, but it is not an issue for younger and tighter-breasted women.

Robert Frank, MD · Answer

As you've suspected the CPG and style 410 do feel firmer than the currently available gel devices. Whether that is enough to preclude their use is really up to the patient...

Christopher L. Hess, MD · Answer

The gummy bear implant also known as the 410 was developed so that no silicone would escape into the capsule should it rupture.  The reality is that none of the implants used now days have a problem with "bleeding" of silicone through the capsule.  Meaning, that if the implant ruptures the silicone goes into the capsule and that's it.  It won't cause any other problems.  So I frankly don't see the point of the 410 implant because it's much more firm and therefore much less like a normal breast.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

The cohesive gel or "gummy bear" implants are firmer than standard silicone gel implants.  They were developed to prevent bleeding or seepage if the implant shell breaks. They are not yet on the market in the US.

Brian Windle, MD (retired) · Answer

This is a great question because we are often asked this when we compare
implants that are sitting on the counter in the office.  The old style gel
implants are definitely softer or squishier when you pick them up and feel
them.  The problem is that most people assume that they will like that
when they are inside your body and this is not the case.

Regular
gel implants, because they are not highly cohesive or form stable (gummy bear)
will often fold or will show ripples far more that the gummy bear implants.
 In addition, they tend to have a higher capsule contracture rate, meaning
that they can get hard and therefore not feel very good at all after they have
been implanted.

Interestingly,
the textured implants, especially the ones made by Sientra seem to feel like
regular breast tissue after about 3 to 6 months.  This is probably due to
your tissue growing into the texture and incorporating the implant so that it
becomes "part of you".I hope that helps.Best regards.

Do Gummy Bear Implants Feel Harder?

Answers (5)

Answer: Cohesive gel implants versus Memory gel implants

Answer: Cohesive gel implants versus Memory gel implants

Answer: Gummy Bear Implants Feel Harder but Inside you They Feel More Natural

Answer: Gummy Bear Implants Feel Harder but Inside you They Feel More Natural

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Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

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Do Gummy Bear Implants Feel Harder?

Answers (5)

Answer: Cohesive gel implants versus Memory gel implants

Answer: Cohesive gel implants versus Memory gel implants

Answer: Gummy Bear Implants Feel Harder but Inside you They Feel More Natural

Answer: Gummy Bear Implants Feel Harder but Inside you They Feel More Natural

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.