Los Angeles Breast Implant Study Released

Even after silicone gel breast implants were approved by the FDA in 2006, surgeons across the country have been participating in trials of a newer “fifth generation” silicone gel breast implant, also referred to as a “form stable” or “gummy bear” breast implant. This latter nickname is derived from their texture– they are both soft and solid, resembling the texture of a gummy bear candy. If cut in half, the implant would retain its same form.

My colleagues and I have been participating in studies of form-stable cohesive breast implants and recently completed a review of the efficacy of this implant type. For our study we examined 355 Los Angeles breast implant patients over a 60-month period, which included women who had primary augmentation, primary reconstruction and revision breast surgery.

The results of our study concluded that these implants had similar complication profiles to other types of silicone gel breast implants. Our study also found that the fifth generation silicone implants have a lower rate of capsular contracture and a decreased incidence of wrinkling compared to fourth generation silicone gel implants, as well as other published studies of fifth generation silicone implants.

As of right now, fifth generation silicone implants are not cleared to be marketed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning that they are only available to the women who have chosen to participate in the clinical trials. Our study may provide more information that will help this implant type become widely available in the years to come.

Tags: los angeles breast implant

This entry was posted on Monday, December 6th, 2010 at 10:14 pm and is filed under Breast Implant,Breast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.