Does Breast Implant Manufacturer Matter?

Currently in 2015, there are about 5 companies that import implants to our country.
There are many products therefore it is difficult to know the characteristics of each of these products.

I get surprised at times when I talk to the patients. They ask me things that they have heard elsewhere such as in other clinics or the internet. It saddens me that there isn’t accurate information out there.

Below is the review of the products that these companies are selling.




1. Allergan 

The manufacturer was originally called Natrelle. But, Botox manufacturing company, Allergan, acquired the company and changed its name. It is a US market leading company along with Mentor.

The first 5th generation cohesive gel is Style 410.

It is a very tight, tear drop shape cohesive gel. It is obvious, but this product is very stiff.
Also most of the Allergan implants are not thick therefore does not have much volume. Most of the implants are not shaped round but are in oval shape.

As there were words that Style 410 is very stiff, the company produced a new model, Soft touch, and started selling it in the market. Soft Touch is softer than Style 410 and therefore provides that softer touch also. However, this soft feel is not all that good because it could give an impression that the product itself it not durable. The pros and cons of Style 410 are clear. If you have a severe case of sagging breasts then it would be good to use Style 410 that has stable shape.



2. Mentor 

Mentor is a US based company and has been a dominant one, along with Allergan, for a long period. Mentor implants are smoother compared to those of Allergan. Also these implants have less rough textures as well.

Allergan’s textured surface is rather rough. (The engineering method in the manufacturing plants leads to differences in the textures.) So, the skin does not grow into the implant. This has led to critiques that the implants may not be able to avoid the capsular contracture. However, I think that this is not true because there aren’t many statistics that prove the texturing prevents capsular contracture. So this cannot be the problem of the Mentor implants.

The top part of the Mentor tear drop implant seems a little thick. Although the shape is tear drop, it seems closer to a round shape.





3. Silimed 

Silimed is a No. 3 company after Mentor and Allergan. The HQ is in Brazil and has an office in California, US.

The characteristic of this product is that the top part is very sharp and thin. This leads to the upper breast line looking more natural. Silimed is more intense compared to Polytech and softer compare to Style 410.

There are many who say that this is a bad product because the company is from Brazil, but this is wrong.

It received US FDA approval earlier than Mentor, and Allergan. There is no proof that Silimed is worse than mentor or Allergan.



4. Sebbin 

Sebbin is a French company. It is a different one from the other French implant company that had a CEO sentenced for using cancer causing substance.

Sebbin has round top that is similar to Mentor. It is rather roundly shaped although it is a tear drop shape implant. The density is similar to Silimed and Allergan Soft touch.

There isn’t one dominant French company but there are many small sized ones across the Europe. These companies include Arion, and EuroSilicon, that do not have much presence at our country.




5. Polytech 

Polytech is a German company. It has the softest product, and can be put into the pocket easily. The sense of touch is as good as the round type but the stability of the shapes is not as strong therefore, it is difficult to say that this is a definitely a good product.

Polytech’s textured surface is rather smooth therefore many doctors thought that the interaction between the epidermises would be less likely. This can be both pro and con.
Polytech has many product categories. It has the most number of product types and it is rather surprising that Polytech products all these products.

Polytech is famous for its polyurethane exterior that avoids capsular contracture, but we do not know when this would be approved in our country and enter the market. This is necessary product for the re-surgery patients but it is sad to know that we cannot use it.

 
So we looked at 5 implant manufacturing companies. Which one do I like? I do not prefer any over another. I use them all. I need to choose the one that is most fitting for the patients.

The implants that you use do not decide the outcome of the surgery. The surgeon needs to match the implant and the body properly in order to get the best outcome.

This is all for today.

Thank you for reading, have a great day.