I presented the results of my initial experience with the polyurethane coated silicone breast implants at the BODY conference in London in November 2012.
I had used the polyurethane implants in 189 patients from May 2010 to September 2012. There were no major complications in the form of capsular contracture( encapsulationn, hardening) or implant rotaton and migration. There were a total of 3 minor surgical complications – 2 wound infections and 1 seroma – which resolved with simple treatments. 2 had aestetic results which I felt could have been better but patients were happy and did not require any revision surgery.
Although the follow up period for these patients were short, the data has cemented my believe that these implants have superior aesthetic results with significantly reduced complication rates.
I have progressed from using these implants only in patients who need replacement for capsular contracture to all patients who require breast implants, both in aesthetic and reconstruction cases.
Up till 2008, only Brazil made these polyurethane implants(Silimed), hence the popular term ‘Brazillian implants’. With the exponential rise of it’s popularity, Brazil has not been able to keep up with it’s demand. The German partner Polytech decided to take over it’s own production in Germany to meet the market demands.
I had visited the Brazillian factory in Rio de Janeiro last year to satisfy myself that the implants were of the highest quality before committing to using them almost exclusively.
I have just visited the factory in Frankfurt, Germany, to do the same.
It is everything that I expected of a German product(Porsche, BMW. Mercedes…). Every single implant is hand made with meticulous attention to safety and quality. To add the polyurethane foam requires another time consuming step to ensure that the foam sits completely smooth over the implant surface. This explains the additional cost of these implants.
Every implant shell is carefull measured at several points to ensure consistent thickness
Air bubbles are individually removed from each implant by hand.