Sientra, a long-term maker of breast implants worldwide, is now offering textured breast implants with the highly cohesive gel often referred to as “gummy bear” in consistency. These breast augmentation implants have been used worldwide for many years and are now available at our plastic surgery practice in Austin, Texas.
Sientra Gummy Bear Implants
The Sientra brand is only available to board-certified plastic surgeons and is the U.S. version of the Silamed implants, which are produced in Brazil. Brazil is long considered a close second to the U.S. for the number of plastic surgeries performed, and perhaps first in advancing plastic surgery technologies. The Sientra implants were approved last year by the FDA for use in the United States.
At Synergy Plastic Surgery, Dr. Mahlon Kerr has been using the implants for almost a year. “My first exposure to textured implants was in 2003 when they were initially offered on trial to select U.S. plastic surgeons. The new Sientra implants are softer and have a thicker shell, so they really offer the best of both worlds.” Textured highly cohesive implants have recently been shown to have a lower risk for common implant problems such as capsular contracture and implant malposition, as Sientra explains.
Although textured implants offer safety benefits, some textured breast implants have also been linked to a condition called breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). While BIA-ALCL is rare, you should discuss the benefits and risks of this and other types of breast implants with your surgeon. Should you be worried about BIA-ALCL? We discuss that issue in this related blog post.
Why the Implants Are Available Only to Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons
By only offering the implants to board-certified plastic surgeons like Dr. Kerr, the Sientra Corporation supports the safe practice of breast augmentation surgery. Dr. Kerr describes, “In Austin and other Texas locations, any doctor can offer breast augmentation regardless of their specialty and training so long as they perform the procedure in their office rather than a surgery center or hospital. This loophole in the law has led to multiple problems for unsuspecting patients who failed to understand the importance of actual training and board certification in plastic surgery.” You can see some of Dr. Kerr’s breast augmentation results in our gallery of before-and-after photos.
Performing revisionary breast augmentation procedures is considered one of Dr. Kerr’s specialties. We often have patients travel from other states and have even had inquiries from as far as Costa Rica.
Gummy bear implants come in many shapes and sizes. While they are not appropriate for all breast augmentation patients, Dr. Kerr is happy to meet with you in person at either our Austin or Round Rock offices to discuss the technology and how it might help you achieve your goals.
For more information about Dr. Kerr or breast augmentation options available in Austin, Texas, please call us to schedule a complimentary consultation at (512) 244-1444 or use our online contact form to request a consultation.
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