Smooth vs. Textured Implants /High Maintenance vs. Low Maintenance
Smooth vs. textured implants-posted by Dr. Edward J. Bednar, MD:
I prefer to offer choices to my patients and have therefore made smooth and textured surfaced implants available.
Smooth implants were the original shell design for all implants. As the name implies, they have a very smooth and slippery surface. The textured implants have an irregular almost snow ball-like surface. All implants, regardless of surface structure, get scar tissue formation surrounding them. Most studies say that as many as 25-30% of the patients who had smooth walled implants above the muscle had an objectionable level of scar tissue which cause excessive firmness.
Textured surfaces were developed to help solve this problem. A textured surfaced implant keeps scar tissue disorganized and helps to reduce hardness and firmness. About the time textured implants appeared, surgeons began placing implants below the chest wall muscle preventing a good majority of this firmness.
I have found that even below the muscle, scar tissue around the textured surfaced implant is thinner and much more disorganized than any scar tissue forming around a smooth implant. In addition, the scar tissue weaves itself into the textured surface, thus holding the implant in place very much like Velcro. The textured surface also dynamically acts on the patient's breast tissues, helping to stretch and mold the breast, thus keeping the implants firmer in place and thus preventing the implants' tendency to bottom out in the breast pocket as found to a greater degree with smooth implants.
It is suggested that smooth implants need to be massaged daily for the rest of the life of the implants to keep scar tissue disorganized and to prevent firmness and hardness. With the textured surfaced implants, massage is only initially necessary until the implants settle. I often refer to a smooth implant as a high maintenance due to the daily upkeep of massage.
Textured surfaces are also what created the advent of the shaped or teardrop implant, one of the most natural looking implants to-date.
I prefer to offer choices to my patients and have therefore made smooth and textured surfaced implants available.
Smooth implants were the original shell design for all implants. As the name implies, they have a very smooth and slippery surface. The textured implants have an irregular almost snow ball-like surface. All implants, regardless of surface structure, get scar tissue formation surrounding them. Most studies say that as many as 25-30% of the patients who had smooth walled implants above the muscle had an objectionable level of scar tissue which cause excessive firmness.
Textured surfaces were developed to help solve this problem. A textured surfaced implant keeps scar tissue disorganized and helps to reduce hardness and firmness. About the time textured implants appeared, surgeons began placing implants below the chest wall muscle preventing a good majority of this firmness.
I have found that even below the muscle, scar tissue around the textured surfaced implant is thinner and much more disorganized than any scar tissue forming around a smooth implant. In addition, the scar tissue weaves itself into the textured surface, thus holding the implant in place very much like Velcro. The textured surface also dynamically acts on the patient's breast tissues, helping to stretch and mold the breast, thus keeping the implants firmer in place and thus preventing the implants' tendency to bottom out in the breast pocket as found to a greater degree with smooth implants.
It is suggested that smooth implants need to be massaged daily for the rest of the life of the implants to keep scar tissue disorganized and to prevent firmness and hardness. With the textured surfaced implants, massage is only initially necessary until the implants settle. I often refer to a smooth implant as a high maintenance due to the daily upkeep of massage.
Textured surfaces are also what created the advent of the shaped or teardrop implant, one of the most natural looking implants to-date.
posted by Breast Info at 2:13 PM
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Call me at 704-541-7654. Sylvia
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