FDA Approves Sientra’s Gummy Bear Breast Implants

It’s perfectly understandable if you let out a chuckle on encountering the phrase “gummy bear implants,” but the truth is that their recent approval by the FDA for use in breast augmentation represents a serious advance in plastic surgery. At the San Francisco plastic surgery practice of Dr. Kimberly Henry, we have always been at the vanguard of such advancements in the field, and we are pleased that we will be able to offer “gummy bear” breast implants to patients who are interested in having larger, shapelier breasts.

At our practice in San Francisco, “gummy bear” breast implants will join silicone gel and saline-filled implants in our menu of options for breast augmentation patients. As always, patients who opt for these revolutionary new implants can expect personalized treatment, personal attention, and the best results possible from Dr. Henry.

What Are “Gummy Bear” Breast Implants?

After conducting a three-year study, and on the condition that the company continues to conduct safety studies, Sientra, Inc. received FDA approval of their cohesive silicone breast implants, popularly known as “gummy bear” implants because of their remarkable ability to keep their shape. While these implants have been available to patients in Europe and Brazil for years, this is the first time that they have been legally available in the United States. Other companies are also currently developing their versions of the implant; these versions could also be approved in the near future.

Sientra’s “gummy bear” implants – marketed as Silimed breast implants – are composed of a high-strength cohesive silicone gel. Unlike current silicone and saline implants, Silimed breast implants are largely leak-resistant and far less likely to rupture. They are also extremely resilient in terms of shape retention, easy to mold into natural shapes, and far less likely than their counterparts to ripple or result in the buildup of scar tissue (i.e., capsular contracture).

While “gummy bear” breast implants offer a multitude of advantages, many of our San Francisco breast augmentation patients may still prefer traditional silicone or saline implants for a number of reasons. For one, “gummy bear” implants currently require a larger incision to place, which means a larger resulting scar.  “Gummy bear” implants are also firmer than other implants; this is an advantage in terms of their leak resistance, but a disadvantage in terms of their texture and overall “feel.”

Ultimately, the decision as to which type of breast implant is right for you will, as ever, be a highly personal one that is dependent on your unique needs and goals. Whatever the case, don’t let the phrase “gummy bear” (which both Sientra and the FDA refuse to acknowledge) throw you. This is a serious product with potentially serious benefits.

Contact Our Breast Augmentation Surgeon

There was a time that U.S. patients who wanted to undergo breast augmentation with “gummy bear” implants had to travel to another country for surgery or be a participant in a clinical trial. Thankfully, those days are over. Our San Francisco breast augmentation patients now have the opportunity to be fitted with customized “gummy bear” breast implants at Dr. Kimberly Henry’s plastic surgery practice.  For further information about this breakthrough in breast implant technology, please contact our San Francisco office today.