VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Whether to use round or shaped breast implants is a question that is commonly asked today. There really is no definitive, consistent, right or wrong answer, because the implant of choice really depends upon the patient preference with regard to implant feel and appearance, and the patient's body build, her body habitus.
Smooth gel implants or silicone gel implants tend to be softer in feel, tend to be more mobile, which many people like. However, they tend to show more wrinkling than a textured, shaped implant.
Textured, shaped implants by definition have a more solid gel so that they hold their shape. While some people may prefer the shape of the shaped device as opposed to the round device, others feel that it is too firm by virtue of that more thick gel, and therefore may not choose it.
In addition, because shaped implants have the potential to change their position somewhat, they have to have a textured or velcro-like surface. That velcro-like surface does limit the movement of the implant also by some degree, so that a patient who prefers a more mobile breast may not opt for that particular choice.
In the post-mastectomy setting where tissues are thin, patients may choose, more frequently, a shaped implant because they don't want implant wrinkling or rippling to be as much a visual issue.
But truly, the implant that is right for a given patient, a given setting, should be determined after lengthy discussion and consideration of the options between the surgeon and the patient.
I'm Dr. Jay Orringer at The Renaissance Medical Center For Aesthetic Surgery if you have questions regarding this procedure, or any other plastic surgical procedure, please feel free to contact us at 310-273-1663 or visit our website at www.drorringer.com.
