Cohesive Gel Implants

Cohesive gel implants are silicone implants that are filled with a thicker silicone gel that holds its shape and form like a "gummy bear." If you cut into a standard gel implant, the liquid silicone gel escapes from the implant shell. In contrast, when you cut into a cohesive gel implant, the implant itself maintains its shape and integrity.

These shaped implants are designed with a focus upon a natural look, rather than for enlargement. Furthermore, gummy bear implants maintain their shape in an upright position that decreases the incidence of folding of the implant shell or rippling. If a cohesive gel implant ruptures, it maintains both its shape and integrity.

One disadvantage of cohesive gel Beverly Hills breast implants is that they require a slightly larger incision for insertion. Because of this, insertion is usually performed through an incision in the fold under the breast, or occasionally through an incision around the areola. Cohesive gel implants are very difficult to insert through an incision in the armpit. Finally, gummy bear implants were approved in late 2006 by the FDA for use in the United States, but their use is limited to certain age, and patient require strict follow-up with MRI to look for silent rupture. PIP Implants PIP implants are breast implants manufactured in France by Poly Implant Prostheses, and, until recently, imported by PIP/USA. PIP implants are saline but, unlike other saline implants, they are pre-filled.

This form of Los Angeles breast augmentation is not currently approved by the FDA for use in the United States. Soybean oil-filled Implants Soy oil-filled implants provide a material less dense than silicone gel, or saline solution, to allow for better visualization of mammograms in the presence of implants. The goal was also to achieve a material of similar safety to saline to allow clearing once the implants eventually fail and leak. These implants are not approved by the FDA for use in the United States.

Expandable Implants The Spectrum implants introduced by Mentor Corporation are expandable and can be filled anywhere from 25cc to 140cc depending on the initial size of the implant itself. They come with a small remote port that is placed over the outer chest rib cage. They can be filled over weeks to months to let the patient decide exactly on the size. The advantages of this form of Beverly Hills breast augmentation are the flexibility and range of fill size and the ability to change it after surgery. The disadvantages are that it requires a second surgery to remove the port from the chest wall. There is also a higher infection rate with a remote port and that these implants are costlier than standard implants.