What is the Sientra Breast Implant?

New Silicone Breast Implant Available from Sientra
My experience is that both Mentor (made by J&J) and Natrelle implants (made by Allergan) are excellent implants with ethical back up from their parent companies. That is all that has been available in the USA until now. Starting in 2012, patients will have another option for  silicone breast implants from another solid company. Silimed. Competition is always great for patients. Patients can choose an implant from Sientra (Silimed) a world leader in breast implant (and other silicone implants). Prospective breast augmentation patients should now be aware that the FDA has approved a new silicone gel-filled breast implant made by Sientra, Inc. Being FDA approved means it is a safe product equal to the standard for Natrelle and Mentor. The Biggest Difference which was just announced by Sientra at the American Aesthetic Meeting in Vancouver May 2012, is that they will only be sold to Board Eligible or Board Certified Plastic Surgery.This is not true for Allergan or Mentor who sell their products to anyone, whether trained or not. This is a great safety factor for patients.

The implants will be available for women at least 22 years old seeking augmentation surgery, and women of any age seeking breast reconstruction surgery.
Silicone gel-filled breast implants are medical devices implanted under the breast tissue or under the chest muscle for breast augmentation or reconstruction. These implants have a silicone outer shell that is filled with silicone gel. They come in different sizes and have either smooth or textured shells.
This approval introduces a third company into the U.S. breast implant market, which previously consisted only of Allergan and Mentor.
The deputy director for for science at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Dr. William Maisel, commented that although silicone gel-filled breast implants have demonstrated consistent safety, “It’s important to remember that breast implants are not lifetime devices. Women should fully understand risks associated with breast implants before considering augmentation or reconstruction surgery, and recognize that long-term monitoring is essential.”
The approval of these new implants follows a 3-year study involving clinical trials of the implants on 1,788 women.
As a condition of the approval, Sientra will carry out five- and ten-year studies into the long-term health effects of their implants.
Source: FDA – FDA approves new silicone gel-filled breast implant

A Sientra breast implant is the name of the breast implant manufacturer.  It is the most common implant that I use because I feel it provides the most shape stable product on the market.  It incorporates the 5th generation silicone fill that provides a truly amazing feel and shape.

The Sientra Corporation Silimed-brand breast implant is an
FDA-approved silicone gel implant that is more cohesive and slightly firmer
than traditional silicone implants. The increased cohesiveness and firmness of
Sientra's HSC and HSC+ implants earned them and others like them the nickname "gummy
bear" implants, and they tend reduce the risk of rippling, gel leakage,
and capsular contracture when compared to less cohesive and softer implants.

Sientra is the US distributor for implants made by Silimed in Brazil.  I have used them since 2004.  Their quality in every way is at least as good as Allergan and Mentor.  They are distinguished by making the only round implant available in the US that is filled with a highly cohesive gel, thereby making it the most ripple resistant and form stable round on the market.  That is not the perfect implant for all occasions, but that implant is of immense desirability in many situations, and neither Allergan nor Mentor make such an implant.

A large variety of breast implants are currently available
for breast augmentation in the United States. These implants come in a multitude of styles, shapes and sizes.In addition, they may be filled with either saline
or several different types of silicone.Each type of implant offers advantages and disadvantages.For this reason, the choice of implant needs
to be tailored to the patients’ specific needs.There
are currently three companies that manufacture breast implants in the United
States.These include Mentor, Allergan
and recently Sientra.Each of these
companies offer a variety of implants.In 2012
Sientra introduced a form stable cohesive gel implant.Although approved by the FDA in 2012, this
implant has been in use in Europe for over thirty years.These implants are available in smooth
texturized, round and contoured styles.Theoretically,
they offer several advantages over standard silicone gel implants including
lower rupture rates, less capsular contractures, less silicone bleed and less
rippling.Their main disadvantages
appear to be their firmness and their expense.These
implants increase the number of options that are available to prospective
breast augmentation patients.It’s
important to understand that only board certified plastic surgeons can use this
type of implant.For this reason, it’s
important to consult a board certified plastic surgeon if you’re considering
Sientra breast implants.This surgeon
should be able to discuss implant options and help you decide which implant is
best for you.

Thank you for your question.  Sientra is a brand of Silicone Gel implants that, along with Mentor and Allergan, are FDA approved for use in the United States.  Sientra is the ONLY brand of implants that requires an implanting surgeon be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons. 

Our office uses Sientra implants, among others, to enhance breast volume. Sientra is a manufacturer of cohesive gel breast implants.  Selection of the type of breast implant depends on breast biometrics and your examination. Best,Dr. Karamanoukian 

The Sientra breast implant is made of a high-strength, form-stable, silicone gel, and is similar to other "gummy bear" implants offered by Allergan and Mentor. The company offers a smooth or textured round implant, as well as a variety of anatomically shaped implants (all textured). 
This variety, along with their excellent safety and performance record, is why many of us have chosen to add Sientra
to our portfolio of breast implant options. Sientra is also the only breast implant manufacturer in the U.S. to offer a warranty program for capsular contracture. If a woman gets primary augmentation with Sientra True Texture implants and develops capsular contracture (Baker grade III or IV) within the first 2 years, the warranty covers implant replacement. The company also offers the best overall breast implant warranty in the industry, which, to me, says that they prioritize safety and quality and stand behind their product. The implants do have an excellent safety record, and some studies indicate that they have a reduced rate of capsular contracture and other complications. These implants have been used in Europe and other parts of the world for more than 30 years, with a remarkable record of safety and satisfaction. Having said all that, there may be another type of implant that is better for your particular physical characteristics and goals. A board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive breast augmentation experience is the best person to help you determine which breast implant is right for you. Good luck!

There are some excellent answers below about breast implants from Sientra, Mentor and Allergan.  My input after performing breast augmentation and reconstruction for over 27 years is that Sientra provides an excellent breast implant with data proving it's safety.  Most of my patients today choose Sientra.  I have been very happy with them in regards to feel and appearance.  

Sientra Breast Implants were approved by the FDA in March 2012 for use in the United States. They offer a more cohesive round implant and a cohesive shaped breast implant.  Although they are the newest implant available in the United States, they have been used worldwide for over 30 years and they have an excellent safety profile.  

Sientra implants are the
newest implant approved by the FDA, but have a 35 year track record of
international safety and are marketed as Silimed Implants outside the United
States.Prior to Sientra approval there
were only two silicone implant manufacturers, Allergan and Mentor.The differences between all three implant
manufacturers are subtle, but Sientra does offer some unique value added
policies and services.Unlike the two other
manufacturers, Sientra’s implants are restricted for Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons
only.It is well documented that
patients who choose a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon for cosmetic surgery have
a higher satisfaction rate than those that don’t.In addition, Sientra is the only company to
offer a Capsular Contractor Care program for their textured round and shaped
implants.The warranty covers free
replacement implants when a primary augmentation patient requires revision
surgery to correct a grade 3 or 4 capsular contracture.Their textured implants have been shown, in a
large study, to have a lower rate of capsular contracture when compared to
their smooth implants.Also, in my
experience, when placed correctly, textured implants are less likely over time
to bottom out and have malposition issues.