All About Breast Implants:
Sizes, Texture and Styles Explained

What is the definition of a breast implant?

A breast implant has an exterior sac or implant shell made of silicone, a rubber-like substance. The implant is filled with one of two substances: silicone gel or saline. The implant is surgically implanted under your chest wall.

How do silicone and saline compare?

MemoryGel™ Breast Implants	Saline Breast Implants
FDA Approved	FDA Approved
Filled with Mentor’s proprietary silicone gel – MemoryGel™ – that holds together uniformly while retaining the natural give that resembles breast tissue.	Filled with a saltwater solution similar to the fluid that makes up most of the human body; slightly firmer feel.
Set fill volume.	Flexible fill volume, allowing the surgeon to adjust the volume during the procedure.
Three projection options: Moderate, Moderate Plus, High Profile.	Three projection options: Moderate, Moderate Plus, High Profile.
Two shell surfaces available: smooth and textured.	Two shell surfaces available: smooth and textured.
Slightly larger incision size with various options for incision placement.	Smaller incision size with various options for incision placement.
Covered by Mentor’s standard or Enhanced Advantage Limited Warranty and lifetime replacement policy.	Covered by Mentor’s standard or Enhanced Advantage Limited Warranty and lifetime replacement policy.

Breast Implant Profiles

Our collection of MemoryGel™ breast implants and round saline breast implants come in High Profile, Moderate Plus Profile, and Moderate Profile – each offering a different level of projection (profile) for each woman's preference and body type. In fact, Mentor was the first to offer the High Profile Breast Implant – offering greater projection, particularly designed for women with a narrower chest wall.

Breast Implant Size

Choosing the right size implant is generally the most important decision a woman and her surgeon will make. Your plastic surgeon will evaluate your existing breast tissue to determine if you have enough tissue to accommodate the desired size of breast implant. Being realistic and following your doctor’s recommendations is very essential for the best result possible.

What are the possible physical repercussions of implants that are "too big" for me?

With breast implants that are too large for the amount of breast tissue you have, the implants’ edges may be visible through your skin after your operation or the implant may be more easily felt. You may also increase the risk of having surgical complications. Also, breast implants that are excessive in size may increase the effects of gravity on your body, which may cause your breasts to prematurely droop or sag.

Smooth and Textured Breast Implant Surfaces

Breast implant shells come in either a smooth or textured surface. And here is the difference. As a natural reaction to any device placed in the body, scar tissue will form around the breast implant surface, creating a capsule. In some women, the capsule can tighten and squeeze the implant. This occurrence is called capsular contracture.

Textured breast implants were designed to reduce the chance of capsular contracture. Some information in the literature on small numbers of patients suggests that surface texturing reduces the chance of severe capsular contracture, but clinical information from studies of a large number of women with Mentor implants shows no difference in the likelihood of developing capsular contracture with textured implants compared to smooth-surfaced implants.