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.