Gummy Bear Breast Implants

Don’t be fooled by the cute little name that has been attached to Gummy Bear breast implants, as these are a very viable solution for many women who are seeking breast augmentation surgery but are not happy with the results that saline implants can provide. Gummy Bear breast implants are actually a higher tech version of silicone breast implants, that’s right silicone implants.

Many women are still under the mistaken impression that silicone is not allowed in the USA but the FDA approved them for use again in 2006. Silicone breast implants offer many women a much more appealing look and feel for their breast implants and they may be perfect for you.

What Are Gummy Bear Breast Implants

These silicone breast implants are bit higher tech than your average implant in that the texture of them resembles gummy bears. They are soft yet firm, flexible and compliant and give a very high quality appearance and feel to the implant. You might have already guessed that the texture of these types of implants resembles that of those fun little candies that are actually called Gummy Bears but they are also known as Cohesive Gel breast implants as well.

Unlike traditional silicone gel implants, the cohesive implant does not contain any liquified gel, if you were to cut a piece out of it then it would remain solid and not contain any fluid, just a solidified gel that will maintain it’s shape. The basic chemical composition of Gummy Bear breast implants is the same as traditional silicone implants but they use more of an additive called a “cross linker” that gives the implant it’s more firm texture.

You need to be cautious when researching cohesive breast implants as the term has been misused recently to describe even the traditional gel implants, but you always want to make sure your doctor knows exactly what you are referring to when you use the term cohesive and that might explain why people have taken to referring to them as gummy bear breast implants.

Advantages to Gummy Bear Breast Implants

Advantages to these types of implants is in the eye of the beholder and it all depends on what you value or are looking for from your breast implants. Many women are simply not that happy with the texture that saline implants provide and saline implants are very fluid under the skin so they can ripple, fold and contort to the direction that your body moves in. These implants can look great from one angle but if you move your body just so then a ripple can form under the skin, making for a very odd looking presentation.

Gummy Bear breast implants have a more firm texture than saline and will not create the rippling effect that saline implants will. These type of implants also tend to have a more natural look and feel than silicone implants however this depends and can vary dramatically by individual. Several factors come into play as to how your implants will feel including the amount of breast tissue you have, where you place the implant etc.

Gummy Bear breast implants also look more natural than saline implants mainly due to the way they are formed. They form a tear drop shape with the bottom being slighly wider than the top, just like a natural breast would look. Saline implants tend to be more round depending on size and how they are placed.

Internal scar tissue known as capsular contracture is also reported to be less serious with these types of implants than with traditional saline implants. The long term statistics are still being studied but these have been in use in Europe for a longer time than in the USA and that is what their statistics are showing. It remains to be seen if that will hold true in America.

Disadvantages to Gummy Bear Breast Implants

There are a few disadvantages to Gummy Bear breast implants as well, including the fact they require a slightly larger incision to insert them into your breast pocket than saline implants. Due to this, you will typically find surgeons will usually insert them through an incision in the fold of the breast and occasionally through the nipple. It is quite rare to find surgeons attempt to insert these types of implants through the armpit and I don’t think it’s even possible that they insert via the belly button.

Another disadvantage to Gummy Bear implants is that while they are approved for use in the USA by the FDA, their are restrictions on who they can be inserted into and not all surgeons can order these types of implants. If you are interested in gummy bear implants for your own surgery then you will have to check with the surgeons in your area or be willing to travel a little bit to find a surgeon that can perform this surgery. Check with your own doctor for details.

Another disadvantage worth noting is that while ruptures of this type of implant are almost non-existent and the effects of a tear in the outer coating of this type of implant are still being studied, you will likely be required to return to your doctor more regularly than you would with saline implants to check for micro-leakage. This may be a small inconvenience for you in exchange for the advantages that Gummy Bear implants offer, but only you can make that call. Complete details can be discussed with your own surgeon.

Cost of Gummy Bear Breast Implants

The final topic worth discussing with your surgeon is the cost of your Gummy Bear breast implants. These implants do cost a fair amount more than saline style implants and that may be a deal breaker for you depending on your financial consideration. If the natural shape, feel and texture is very important to you and you aren’t happy with what you are seeing from saline implants then the cost may not matter but most people weigh this factor heavily in their decision.

The actual costs of the surgery are hard to pin down to give you an idea as all surgeons are different and different areas of the country will charge different rates etc. You can expect Gummy Bear implants to cost 40 to 50% more than saline in most areas of the country from what we have heard around the discussion boards.

You can find more information on Gummy Bear implants here.