A ^Retired Plastic Surgeon's Notebook

Seattle Plastic Surgeon now offering the IDEAL IMPLANT.

I am happy to report that I am really, really liking The Ideal Implant.  And so are my patients.  This new type of saline breast implant crossed my radar screen late last year when I read an article in the New York Times about the implant and it’s inventor, Dr. Robert Hamas.  At the time the article was published, this implant was available only to those plastic surgeons who had invested in the company.  I felt a little left out!  But about a year ago the company expanded the availability of the implant to surgeons like me who are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

This implant is different from other saline implants in that it has internal baffles that dampen the sloshing around of the saline.  These baffles make the saline behave more like gooey gel.  When I felt this implant, it was a lot squishier and natural feeling than a standard saline implant.  I don’t think it was quite as squishy as a gel but it was really close.  And this implant really holds it shape.  It does not collapse and wrinkle like a saline implant does when held upright.

So I am pretty pumped about this new implant and I am totally in awe of Dr. Hamas who thought of this and actually pursued the idea and brought it to market.  Dr. Hamas joins my small pantheon of heroes who just don’t think of great stuff, they actually do great stuff.

Of course the question is why would a woman choose this implant over a silicone gel implant?  Aren’t gel implants awesome?  Aren’t they safe?  Gel implants are usually awesome but they can cause real problems if they leak or rupture.  I do not think gel implants cause systemic illness but a leaking or ruptured gel implant can make a pretty big mess of a breast.  I take out lots and lots of nasty old gel implants and have seen the damage they can do over the years.  In most cases, but not all, the breast can be made to look okay with a new implant and/or a breast lift and/or fat transfer.  And I have to add, the most common issue I see with breasts messed up by any type of implants is the fact that the implants were just too big for the chest in the first place.   Breast implants that are too big can cause big problems.

I also take out lots and lots of old deflated saline implants (I did two of these cases yesterday).  The saline implants usually don’t cause the same extent of inflammation, scarring and damage that gel implants do.  They just don’t.  Maybe this is because a patient with a leaking or ruptured saline implant knows she has a problem because her breast deflates and she gets it fixed in a timely fashion.  Contrast this with a leaking or ruptured gel implant that just sits there for years without any obvious change.  I’ve taken out implants that I would bet have been ruptured for decades.  Yes,  I know that an MRI will pick up a ruptured gel implant but it is a rare patient who dutifully goes in for her bi-yearly MRI as recommended by the FDA.

If you are interested in these implants, I can let you see and feel one.

Thanks for reading!  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

To make an appointment, please call 206 467-1101.

Follow me on Instagram.  I have two accounts:  @sowdermd and @breastimplantsanity.  See you there!

Related posts:

Breast Implant Illness – a seasoned plastic surgeon’s humble opinion. Updated October, 2017. Louis Pasteur and why you shouldn’t worry too much about mold or fungus in saline breast implants. Why are some breast implants as hard as rocks? Capsular Contracture – the final frontier in breast implant surgery?