20 Years Old, 5"5 136 Pounds. Breast Aug

Hello and thank you for your excellent question. Many women have questions about breast implants since the FDA's announcement about Breast-Implant-Associated ALCL (BIA-ALCL). As of February 1, 2017, the FDA has received a total of 359 medical device reports (MDRs) of BIA-ALCL. There are 231 reports that included information on the implant surface. Of these, 203 were reported to be textured implants and 28 reported to be smooth implants. Most of the reports contained no information about the surface textures of any previous implants. In addition, 312 of the 359 reports included information on implant fill types. Of these, 186 reported implants filled with silicone gel and 126 reported implants filled with saline. To date, there have not been any reported cases of ALCL associated with Sientra textured breast implants, although the significance of this finding is unclear.

In our practice, we generally recommend textured implants because the risks of 1) capsular contracture, and 2) implant displacement are significantly lower with textured implants. While there is an increased risk of BIA-ALCL with textured implants, we have observed that the chances of developing ALCL are still approximately 4 orders of magnitude (i.e., 10,000 times) less than the risk of developing a significant capsular contracture.

Regardless of these considerations, our patients' interests are still our #1 concern. If a patient desires a smooth implant, instead of a textured implant, we simply place the smooth implant. The most important thing in this situation is for a patient to learn about her options, and make a decision with which she is comfortable. Good luck! And please let us know if we can assist in any way!