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Gummy Bear Breast Implants Houston

Houston Gummy Bear Breast Implants Specialists

The type of breast implant a woman chooses significantly affects the results of her breast augmentation (aka augmentation mammoplasty). The results of an augmentation mammoplasty with highly cohesive gel breast implants (aka gummy bear implants or form-stable implants) effectively mimic the natural breast in both look and feel, which is why many women are choosing these revolutionary implants. At Lift Plastic Surgery in Houston, Dr. Shitel Patel performs breast augmentations to help women attain the fuller, more voluptuous breasts they desire.

Who Should Consider Houston Gummy Bear Breast Implant Surgery?

Highly cohesive gel breast implant surgery in Houston is ideal for women who want to increase the size of their breasts as well as for women who are undergoing breast reconstruction surgery. Form-stable breast implants offer patients results that look and feel completely natural.

Who is a Good Candidate for a Gummy Bear Breast Augmentation in Houston?

The FDA has approved the use of silicone breast implants in women over the age of 22. The form-stable implant is a good option for most women over the age of 22.

Form-stable implants are especially helpful for women who:

  • Have small breasts that they would like a plastic surgeon to enhance. At Lift Plastic Surgery, Dr. Patel improves the shape of the breasts and increase the volume of their breasts.
  • Are in need of breast reconstruction surgery (following breast trauma or a mastectomy).
  • Want larger breasts with a natural look and feel.
  • Have an athletic or slender build.

Gummy Bear Implants, Explained

These breast implants consist of a thick silicone gel that is encased within a layered, dense silicone polymer shell.

Form-stable implants offer patients resiliency and strength. The stronger dense silicone polymer layered outer shell significantly reduces the likelihood of a shell breach. Nonetheless, even if the shell perforates, the highly cohesive silicone gel breast implant maintains its shape. Furthermore, if any of this silicone gel should leak out, it remains within the implant’s capsule. Therefore, patients can feel confident that the gel will not leak into the tissues surrounding the breast.

Gravity does not affect the shape of a form-stable implant and, even if subjected to external pressure, a highly cohesive silicone gel implant is less likely to deform than the implants consisting of traditional silicone and saline.

Patients can choose gummy bear breast implants that are round or anatomically shaped (resembling a teardrop). The teardrop shaped implant is ideal for women who want to add volume to the upper and lower poles of their breasts.
A form-stable implant provides predictable results and is more durable than its saline and silicone counterparts are.

The risk of developing the complication capsular contracture is lower with highly cohesive silicone gel implants than it is with the silicone and saline breast implants.

What is Capsular Contracture?

Capsular contracture results when the body creates excessive amounts of scar tissue around the breast implant. If capsular contracture occurs, the patient needs another surgery to remove the excess scar tissue.

Why Are the Highly Cohesive Silicone Gel Implants Called Gummy Bear Breast Implants?

The consistency and resilience of the gel inside a highly cohesive silicone gel implant led to its nickname. Consider that when cutting the gummy bear candy in half, each half remains fully intact: There is essentially no leakage of any kind. The same is true of the highly cohesive silicone gel breast implant.

Gummy Bear Implants vs. Silicone Breast Implants

The main difference between the traditional silicone implants and the highly cohesive silicone gel breast implants is the consistency of the silicone filler.

Although each implant contains silicone, the silicone that the form-stable implant consists of is thicker. Due to its thicker consistency, a patient who chooses the highly cohesive silicone gel implant has breasts that feel firmer and more natural after surgery than a patient who chooses a traditional silicone implant.

How Do Gummy Bear Breast Implants Differ From Saline Implants?

When comparing the form-stable breast implant to its saline counterpart, the fillers differ greatly. Saline breast implants consist of a silicone outer shell that contains a sterile salt-water solution. Gummy bear implants consist of a thick gel that provides patients with breasts that look and feel more natural than the results a patient receives with saline breast implants. In addition, saline implants look and feel firmer than the highly cohesive silicone gel implants.

Is a Gummy Bear Breast Implant Smooth or Textured?

The shell of every teardrop-shaped implant is textured. By adding texture to the outer shell of an anatomically shaped breast implant, the likelihood of it moving or rotating within the breast decreases. The movement of round implants is of little concern.

How Long Do Form-Stable Implants Last?

On average, patients replace their breast implants every 10 years. This is the general replacement guideline because after 10 years, the risk of the implant leaking rises substantially.

Is There Anything That Could Change the Appearance of Breast Implant Surgery Results?

Yes, despite implant type, losing or gaining a significant amount of weight will change the appearance of a patient’s breast augmentation results.

Will a Gummy Bear Breast Implant Ripple?

Generally, when compared to traditional silicone and saline implants, it is less likely that a highly cohesive silicone gel breast implant will ripple. This reduction in rippling is due to the thick, gelatinous nature of the highly cohesive silicone gel that the implant consists of.

Are Gummy Bear Breast Implants Safe?

Yes, silicone, saline and highly cohesive silicone gel breast implants are all FDA-Approved and, therefore, considered safe.

Furthermore, since gummy bear breast implants have a shell that is stronger than the shells of traditional silicone and saline implants, the likelihood of a form-stable implant’s shell sustaining damage is small.

Are There Any Negative Aspects to Gummy Bear Breast Implants?

Although form-stable breast implants offer patients a variety of benefits, such as a decrease in the risks of capsular contracture, an outer shell breach and rippling, patients do make a few trade-offs to enjoy these benefits.

Negative aspects of the form-stable implant:

  • Since the form-stable breast implant is a solid piece that the surgeon inserts as a whole, for proper insertion, the surgeon needs to create a longer incision.
  • Gummy bear breast implants are usually more expensive than the traditional silicone and saline implants.
  • If the shell of a form-stable breast implant sustains damage, which causes a leak, detecting the leak may be more difficult than it is with other breast implants. For this reason, the FDA recommends that women with any type of silicone breast implant have an MRI three years after implant placement and then every two years thereafter.

A Consultation in Atlanta for Gummy Bear Breast Implant Surgery

Anyone considering an elective surgery in Houston needs to be in good general health. At Lift Plastic Surgery, during a patient’s initial consultation, Dr. Patel reviews the patient’s medical information and performs an examination. Using this information, the surgeon can assess the patient’s health.

What Patients Should Bring to Their First Appointment

Many patients find it helpful to bring in photos of women who have the breast size, shape and projection they desire.

Please bring any medical information relating to the breasts to this appointment (e.g., mammograms, biopsies).

A List of Current Medications, Herbal Supplements and Vitamins

Patients taking medications on a daily basis need to inform the surgeon about these medications (prescription and over-the-counter). Pertinent information includes, the name of the medication, reason for the medication, the dose and how frequently the patient takes the medication.

Patients who take herbal supplements or vitamins must also provide the surgeon with this information, including the type of vitamin or supplement, the reason for the supplement, how frequently the patient takes the herbal supplement and its dose.

Medical Conditions

Patients with chronic medical conditions (e.g., type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease) need to let the surgeon know about the condition they have. In addition, if there is a familial history of breast cancer, the patient has had irregular mammogram results or a breast biopsy the surgeon needs to know. This information does not disqualify a patient from having a breast augmentation with gummy bear implants; it allows the surgeon to be fully informed.

If any of the aforementioned issues are present (e.g., type 2 diabetes, an irregular mammogram), to ensure the patient’s safety during surgery, the plastic surgeon may request that she have certain medical tests done before her augmentation mammoplasty.

The tests that the surgeon orders relate directly to the patient’s condition.

For example:

  • If the patient has heart disease, she may need to have an electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG).
  • Patients who have type 2 diabetes may need to have an A1C to find out what their average glucose-level has been in the three months leading up to surgery.
  • If a patient has a history of irregular mammograms or a familial history of breast cancer, the surgeon may order a pre-surgical mammogram.

The Breast Examination

The plastic surgeon examines the patient’s breasts. In addition, the surgeon may take measurements as well as photographs of the patient’s breasts from various angles. Each of these serve as useful tools during the creation of the patient’s personalized breast augmentation with gummy bear implants surgical treatment plan.

Determining If a Patient is a Good Candidate for the Highly Cohesive Silicone Gel Breast Implants in Houston

To determine if a patient is a good candidate for form-stable breast implants, the surgeon needs to know how much cleavage the patient would like to have after her surgery.

In addition, patients need to inform the surgeon about the amount of breast fullness they desire as well as how perky they would like their breasts to be.

Other considerations include:

  • A desire to have a result that looks completely natural. The patient must not have a breast envelope that is overly stretched.
  • The patient should not have droopy breasts (unless she is opting for a breast lift with an augmentation).
  • The patient’s natural breasts should be relatively small. The patient does not participate in activities that could cause her teardrop-shaped implants to rotate. These activities include those that require the use of her upper body muscles (e.g., surfing).

As board-certified, highly experienced plastic surgeon, Dr. Patel reviews the patient’s aesthetic goals to determine which breast implant offers her optimal results. The surgeons also consider the patient’s weight, height and chest wall measurements when determining if gummy bear implants are her best option.

Add-On procedures for the breast include:

  • A breast lift.
  • Nipple-Areolar complex reduction.
  • Targeted liposuction. For example, the plastic surgeon can remove the excess fat in the teacup areas. The teacup areas are directly above the breasts near the armpit and shoulder.

Other Procedures

During the initial consultation, the surgeon may determine that an augmentation mammoplasty will not provide the patient with the results she desires. Nonetheless, the surgeon will most likely offer insight into which plastic surgery procedure can provide her with the results she desires. For example, patients with breasts that droop may want to consider having a breast lift instead of (or in addition to) breast implant surgery.

Breast Augmentation Surgery with Gummy Bear Implants

Since patients are unable to drive themselves home following their procedure, they must arrive with a licensed driver; otherwise, the patient will be rescheduled.

Pre-Op

Upon arrival, one of Lift Plastic Surgery’s friendly medical professionals takes the patient to the pre-op area.

At this time, patients should have had nothing to eat or drink for at least 12 hours.

While in pre-op, patients receive a gown to wear and a nurse takes her vitals (i.e., blood pressure, heart rate, temperature).

The surgeon does come to the pre-op area. While there, the plastic surgeon creates a guide to use during surgery by making a variety of markings on the patient’s breasts. If the patient has any more questions, now is a good time for her to ask.

After answering the patient’s questions, the surgeon leaves the pre-op area to continue preparing for surgery.

Before her augmentation mammoplasty with gummy bear implants can start, the patient must be asleep. To accomplish this, she receives medications that cause her to fall sleep.

Breast Implant Surgery — An Overview

After creating the incision underneath the breast along the inframammary crease, the surgeon makes a pocket to hold the patient’s gummy bear implant.

The surgeon gently inserts the breast implant into its pocket.

After positioning the implants within their pockets, the surgeon sits the patient up to ensure that the implant placement appears even and symmetrical.

The surgeon closes the incisions.

The patient receives a soft surgical bra that fits her new breasts perfectly.

The Recovery Area

The patient continues to sleep while in the recovery area.
Once the patient wakes, her nurse discusses specifics about her surgical procedure, including what she can expect as she recovers.

The patient does have restrictions. The nurse addresses these restrictions. The patient also receives a printout that lists her restrictions, recovery information as well as the date and time of her follow-up appointment with her plastic surgeon.

Once the patient’s surgeon is happy with her progress in the recovery area, the nurse answers any questions the patient has before releasing her to her driver.

Recovering from a Breast Augmentation with Gummy Bear Implants

Patients need a caregiver for a few days after surgery. The caregiver should be an individual the patient trusts as well as someone who is capable of helping her walk, get dressed and use the washroom.

It takes about two months to recover from a breast augmentation with form-stable breast implants.

Patients can expect to experience some discomfort as well as inflammation around their incision sites. These symptoms can last anywhere from several days to a few weeks. Nonetheless, the surgeon provides the patient with medication to address these symptoms.

To reduce the amount of discomfort a patient experiences and her likelihood of developing an infection, before surgery, Dr. Patel may provide the patient with prescriptions for pain medication and an antibiotic. Patients receive these prescriptions before the date of their surgery so that they can have them filled ahead of time.

About 10 days after surgery, the surgeon removes the patient’s stitches.

Restrictions

It is vital that patients give their body time to heal. Therefore, patients need to follow the restrictions they receive from their plastic surgeon after their breast augmentation with gummy bear implants. Neglecting to follow the surgeon’s restrictions is unwise in that the patient’s results may be negatively affected.

Some of the restrictions following an augmentation mammoplasty include that the patient should avoid:

  • Raising her arms above her head for about two weeks.
  • Exercising and sexual activity until four to six weeks have passed.
  • Picking up anything that weighs more than five pounds for at least six weeks. This includes children and pets.
  • Wearing any bra other than the one the surgeon provided her following her surgery for at least six weeks.
  • Driving for at least a week after surgery.

Walk Around the House

Dr. Patel does recommend that patients walk around their home regularly following their breast implant surgery, with assistance if necessary. By staying active in this way, patients reduce the likelihood of a clot developing and causing complications.

Results of Gummy Bear Breast Implant Surgery

Directly after surgery patients see a significant degree of enhancement. Their breast tissue feels firmer and the skin on the breasts has a nice tone.

Scarring After a Houston Breast Augmentation with Form-Stable Implants

Since the surgeon creates the patient’s incisions along the inframammary crease of each breast, and therefore, the incisions are well hidden. If the patient follows the directions she receives about caring for her incisions, they should heal well. Moreover, with time, these incisions fade.

Prevent Hyperpigmentation of Scars by Avoiding UV Light

One of the worst things a patient can do is expose her incisions to UV light while they are pink. If the incisions are pink, they are still in the process of healing. By exposing them to UV light, the incisions could become hyperpigmented (darken). This hyperpigmentation may never go away, which means the scars will be highly visible, forever.

The Gummy Bear Breast Implant Difference

These revolutionary breast implants provide patients with natural-looking breasts that complement their form and figure.

When a patient chooses form-stable breast implants, she can enjoy her rejuvenated bust line without concerns related capsular contracture and folding or creasing of the implant.

Potential Side Effects and Risks Associated with Breast Implant Surgery

Despite the procedure, there are always side effects and risks to consider. An augmentation with form-stable breast implants is no different. The risks and side effects listed below relate to all breast augmentations, regardless of implant type.

Risks and potential side effects:

  • Bleeding
  • Infection
  • Pain
  • Differences in nipple sensation
  • Scarring
  • Vomiting or nausea (due to the anesthesia)
  • Implant Rupture
  • Large cell lymphoma
  • Breast tissue wrinkling

How Much Does an Augmentation with Gummy Bear Implants Cost?

Each patient is unique. To determine how much an individual’s breast augmentation with form-stable implants will cost, she needs to schedule a consultation with Dr. Patel.

If you are in the Houston area and considering a breast enhancement procedure, contact Lift Plastic Surgery today to schedule an initial consultation with a board-certified, highly experienced plastic surgeon. Dr. Shitel Patel offer patients custom-designed, hand-tailored treatment plans, compassionate care and a dedication to excellence. Schedule your gummy bear breast augmentation appointment today.

Contact Houston / Webster, Texas Plastic Surgeon Shitel D. Patel, MD at Lift Plastic Surgery.

For more information on cosmetic procedures and treatments provided please schedule a consultation.

Serving patients in Houston Texas, Webster, League City, Pearland, Galveston, Kemah, Seabrook and all other surrounding Greater Houston, Texas communities and more.

 

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