Mentor Memory Gel Silicone Implants Vs Sientra HIGHLY Cohesive Form-stable Gummy Bear Implants?

All manufacturers have two gels and have both round and teardrop implants.The gel in mentor rounds is called "memory gel" and the gel in mentor teardrop implants is called "memory shape."The gel in all Allergan round implants is the same and the gel in their teardrop implants (the 410) is more cohesive.  Allergan makes an implant called the Inspira that uses the same gel as the regular implants but more gel is put into any given shell so it ripples less (though outside of the US they make this implant with a more cohesive gel.)Sienta uses two types of gel: the HSC and HSC+.  It stands for High Strength Cohesive.  The use HSC in round implants, and they have a line of implants (the 105) with a standard degree of fill and a second line with the same gel but a higher degree of file (the 106.)  Unlike the other two, they use the more cohesive HSC+ in a more filled round implants called the 107, and this was released just several weeks ago.I have used every one of these implants and the differences are subtle but real.  The most cohesive is the 410 followed by MemoryShape, HSC+, HSC, standard Allergan gel, and then standard Mentor Memory Gel.The less cohesive implants are softest and the more cohesive implants better maintain their shape and tend to ripple less.  The more filled 107 and Inspira also have less of a tendency to ripple than their less filled counterparts.  It is a question of dimensions, trade-offs, and a patient's own breasts and desires.

Both Mentor's MemoryShape™
implant and Sientra's breast implants are form stable, meaning they are firmer
and anatomically-shaped for the most natural looking results. Either implant
type can create beautiful results, but many surgeons and patients prefer
Sientra implants due to a few advantages they offer. For one, Sientra implants
come with a 2-year warranty providing free implant replacement to any patient
who develops a grade 3 or 4 capsular contracture during the first 2 years
following breast augmentation. Secondly, with five different
anatomically-shaped implants to choose from, Sientra offers a wider variety of
form stable implant options than either Mentor or Natrelle. Finally, Sientra
implants have a lower documented rupture rate than competitors and are only
available to board certified plastic surgeons, making them the new gold
standard for form stable implants. As always, it's best to discuss your implant
options with your breast augmentation surgeon

Great question!  In the United States there are three silicone implants that
are currently FDA approved which include Sientra, Mentor and Allergan. In all of
these implants, the silicone gel is what is called cohesion as opposed to the
liquid gel, which is consistent with implants produced in earlier decades.
However, although all current gel is cohesive to some degree, the level of
cohesiveness varies between companies and mostly between implants. In general,
Allergan and Mentor have what is considered 4th generation silicone gel in
their smooth round implants, whereas Sientra’s smooth round implants now have 5th
generation gel and they just recently added a new variation of their implants
which has the same level of form gel as their anatomical implants. Generally,
smooth round implants are going to have a somewhat softer gel than anatomical
implants as anatomical implants each maintain their shape and therefore have a more form stable gel. The
gel does not need to be extremely stiff to be effective and once again, I feel
Sientra hit the mark with a more stable yet soft gel. Mentor and Sientra’s gel
likely have a somewhat firmer feel although they are also high quality
implants. A discussion of which implant would be best for you is
best held with your plastic surgeon. An experienced plastic surgeon should be
able to offer you smooth round, textured round or textured anatomical implants
depending on your goals and anatomy.

There are 3 breast implant manufacturers in the US.  Sientra was FDA approved in the US in 2011 though has been in the International market for over 30 years under the name Silimed.  Sientra has the most cohesive or form stable implant on the market and was the first to have their anatomically shaped implant approved by the FDA.  They also ONLY sell to Board Certified Plastic Surgeons, which essentially means they have received the most extensive, inclusive training available and have had to perform a substantial number of plastic surgery procedures. When visiting your plastic surgeon, he should have the implants available for you to see and feel.  You can feel the difference between the different implants.  Sientra has a wide variety of shapes, contours, profiles and textures and is a great implant!

All
silicone gel implants are cohesive gel these days, and there are only really
only two types when you are talking about round implants. The first type is
Mentor and Allergan's round silicone gel, which is exactly the same (excluding
the 410 style). Sientra is different because their silicone gel is more
cohesive, yet maintains its softness.


As far as shaped implants are concerned, each vendor has its own
form stable silicone gel that is unique, so there are technically three.
The Allergan and Mentor form stable shaped devices tend to be firmer.
Sientra's shaped implant is form stable, but feels softer, more like
normal breast tissue.

There are three different implant makers available in the USA - Mentor, Allergan and Sientra. All make a textured, highly cohesive, shaped 'gummy bear' implant for use in cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery. There are differences in texturization, dimension, profile and other factors.

Allergan (Natrelle), Mentor, and Sientra are the big three in terms of breast implant companies in the United States.  All implants they produce are FDA approved, and thus have been rigorously tested and found to be safe.  Choosing between these implant companies is kind of like choosing between Mercedes, Lexus, and BMW when buying a car.  All three make great products with slight differences between each that makes one more preferable over the others in certain circumstances.  They each make comparable implants in regard to shape, volume, projection, shell, and silicone gel cohesiveness.  Each of these companies has various levels of cohesiveness that they offer.  There are now even two levels of cohesiveness of highly cohesive (gummy bear) breast implants with one slightly more soft than the other.  I would recommend an in-person consultation with a plastic surgeon well-versed in breast augmentation to express your goals and allow for a thorough discussion of the best implant choice to achieve the natural result you desire.  Best of luck!
Ziyad Hammoudeh, MD

There  are so many types of gel and shell combinations that it is confusing to even us plastic surgeons!  I have used all types of gel- the older liquid gel, firmer gel and still firmer form-stable gel over the last 28 years of my practice.  Allergan (Natrelle) gel has at least three different gel types of different thickness in their round implants alone.  The Sientra gel consistency differs from the smooth to the textured types  as the gel in the textured variety is less viscous or softer than the smooth walled implants.  The Sientra implant shell is very tightly bound to the gel, unlike the other brands.  This creates a uniform implant effect, and less chance of rupture.  In my opinion, Mentor implant have not kept up with Sientra (or Allergan) technology.We have found for years that there is a significantly lower risk of capsular contracture or hard breast formation when using textured implants- instead of using smooth-walled.Bottom line- I recommend Sientra textured form-stable implants for virtually all of my patients.  The results have been the best I have ever seen in my experience with Sientra over the last 5 years.  If patients desire Saline filled, I recommend Allergan Natrelle, since Sientra does not sell saline implants.  Mentor implants have too high of a rupture rate.Hope this helps and best of luck!

Thank you for the question. All currently FDA approved silicone gel breast implants are “cohesive”.  This “cohesiveness” makes it so that the silicone material is less likely to leak, if/when there is a failure of the surrounding shell.

The “gummy bear” silicone material is a  more dense material chemically.  The term “gummy bear”  has been  used, almost as a slang term,  to encompass all silicone gel breast implants; thus the confusion. None  of the types of breast implants you mention are necessarily “better”; there are pros/cons associated with each type of implant.

 Every patient who presents for breast augmentation surgery has a different body type, different goals/concerns, and potentially a different “mindset” when it comes to the best breast implant for her. It is, therefore very important to individualize each patient's care.

In 2014, each of the main companies (Sientra, Mentor, Allergan) is producing high quality silicone implants.  However, Sientra's form-stable implants represent the latest generation of silicone and are often referred to as 'gummy bear' implants due to their stability.  While each of the companies' implants can yield an excellent result it is important to know that Sientra only provides implants to Board Certified plastic surgeons, a detail that can prevent you from being treated by someone without that important qualification.