Whats the Big Difference Between Silicone and Memory Gel? is It Just a Brand Name?

Memory gel is the Mentor brand name for its silicone gel implant.  The two American breast implant companies, Allergan and Mentor, use the same exact gel from the same exact company.  The silicone shells, however, are different, therefore a straight up answer to your quesiton is that the gels of both companies are the same (the coverings are different) and memory gel is just a brand name.   

Memory gel is just a brand name for a type of silicone implant manufactured by Mentor. Silicone implants made by Allergan are called Natrelle.

Silicone and memory gel are same product just differing brand names always involved. The products are very similiar in both companies implants. Good luck

Each implant company uses different names to describe their own brand of implants, and Mentor Corporation uses "Memory Gel." Allergan Corporation calls their silicone gel implants "Natrelle" and describe the filler as a "soft, cohesive silicone gel."

If you had already decided on silicone, Memory gel just means Mentor silicone implants, Natrelle means Allergan silicone implants, and Silimed means Sientra silicone implants. Sort of like deciding between a cola and a non-cola and then being told Coke is in the options list. Sure it is, but so is Pepsi and RC Cola, just different company names for their brand of cola products.

All of the commercially-available silicone gel implants in the US are FDA approved, and all are cohesive gel products with slight variations in size, dimensions, and actual degree of cohesiveness (though on this aspect they are quite close--none of these companies' gel implants "spill out" if the shell is cut). Each company has its own type of textured or smooth surface technology, and some surgeons utilize only one company's products; other use mostly one and a few of the others; and some may use a few from each company. Ultimately, a busy breast augmentation practice tends to steer towards one company, not because it is superior to the other two companies, but because of certain individual factors, including responsiveness to product needs, sales rep personality, and of course cost. From your standpoint, all are safe and effective and you should feel absolutely comfortable with whichever product your surgeon recommends. Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

The two most popular US implants are brand names Natrelle or Memory Gel. They are really the same thing.

When it comes to Breast Implants, there are only a few choices.  Saline or Silicone.  Most patients today are getting silicone.  If you choose silicone there are 3 different companies who make silicone implants and each company has their own "brand" name such as Memory Gel or Natrelle.
So, I think you are making the right decision going with silicone.  Whether you get Mentor Memory Gel or Allergan Natrelle, or Sientra implants is usually a matter of surgeon preference.

Until recently, there were only two breast implant companies, Allergan and Mentor.  Each company's gel implant has its own brand name such as Natrelle and Memory Gel. 

There is now a third implant company that will soon be selling silicone gel implants ONLY to Plastic Surgeons (a first!), and I'm sure their implant will also have its own unique brand name. 

Each company claims its implant has unique features that set it apart from the other company.  In reality, the implants are very similar. 

Most Plastic Surgeons use the product that they are most comfortable with, and often it comes down to customer service from one company over the next.

Karen M. Horton, MD, MSc, FACS, FRCSC

Plastic Surgery, Aesthetic Surgery, Reconstructive Microsurgery

Both saline implants and gel implants contain silicone.  The shell of both implants are made of solid silicone.  However the implants are filled differently.  Silicone saline implants are filled with saline or salt water.  Silicone gel implants are filled with a gel of silicone.  All saline implants are pretty much the same.  Gel implants differ by their cohesiveness.  If you were to cut a memory gel implant in half the gel would spill out. However, with a "gummy bear" implant the gel stays where it is and there is no spillage. I hope this helps to clarify things.

 

While I agree with the other surgeon's comments here I would point out that each brand does have slight differences.  Some surgeons only use one brand and other pick an implant based on the individual patient.  Dodge and Ford both make pickup trucks and yet the trucks have some important differences.

They are certainly not the exact same device, so you should ask your surgeon why he/she wants to use that particular implant for you.

For instance the diameters of the implants per given size are slightly different.  Thus in a very petite patient this may make a subtle difference.  

If you are getting a textured implant, the texturing process is quite different from Mentor and Allergan.  Different surgeons have beliefs about what this means clinically however there certainly is a major difference in the texturing.

Differences are perhaps small but my belief is we are striving for perfection and details must be considered.  

A final consideration is that the new Sientra implant is also available in anatomic (teardrop) shapes while neither Allergan nor Mentor currently offer anatomic shaped silicone implants.  

MemoryGel(TM) is the name that Mentor uses for their silicone gel implant.  It is an excellent, safe device.

Good luck!

Hello,
Thank you for your question. Believe it or not there is actually great confusion among the public about this. Memory gel is one implant manufacturers term for their silicone implants. It's like nike and sneakers. All of current silicone implants are cohesive and are also referred to as gummy bear implants. All of these terms refer to generally the same thing: current generation silicone implants.

All the best,

Dr Remus Repta