FACT: Concerning the status of our
third generation silicone gel breast implants, FDA has now spoken on the safety and effectiveness of these products.
Silicone gel filled breast implants have undergone changes in the last three decades to meet increasingly sophisticated consumer expectations.
- The first silicone implants had very thick shells and contained a very firm silicone gel.
- A second generation of implants with thinner shells and thinner gel was introduced in the late 1970s to address concerns of patients and physicians who believed that the implants were too firm, palpable and visible.
- In the mid 1980s, concerns related to rupture rates of the thinner-shelled implants led manufacturers to introduce a third generation of implants. The shell of these implants was slightly thicker and contained a new low-bleed “barrier” layer. The gel was also adapted to be thicker. Today’s silicone breast implants are composed of a cohesive gel that is contained within a silicone elastomer shell.
Mentor's breast implant products have kept pace with the ever-evolving expectations of physicians and women who desire a soft silicone gel to retain the natural feel that resembles actual breast tissue.