The Center for Cosmetic Surgery
725 Heritage Road #100
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: (303) 278-2600
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery
755 Heritage Road #100
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: (303) 279-6100
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery
501 South Cherry Street #900
Denver, CO 80246
Phone: (303) 951-2100
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery
501 South Cherry Street #900
Denver, CO 80246
Phone: (303) 951-2102
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery
6985 Tutt Blvd Ste 110
Colorado Springs, CO 80923
Phone: (719) 380-1823
Monday – Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Breast Implants
With so many types, sizes, and shapes of breast implants available in Denver, Colorado, and throughout the U.S., choosing the right combination can seem overwhelming. Every implant has pros and cons, and no single option works for every breast augmentation patient. This decision is where our board-certified plastic surgeons’ expertise and attention to detail truly make a difference. They evaluate your body, goals, and lifestyle to recommend the implant that harmonizes with your natural proportions to give you satisfying, long-lasting results.
A Brief History of Breast Implants in the U.S.
Early Development
• 1960s: Drs. Cronin and Gerow partnered with Dow Corning to create the first silicone breast implants.
• 1970s–1980s: Implants became widely used, with steady improvements in shell and gel design.
Safety Concerns and FDA Review
• Late 1980s: Concerns arose about a possible link between silicone implants and autoimmune disorders.
• 1992: The FDA restricted silicone implants to reconstructive use pending safety studies.
• 2006: After extensive research confirmed their safety, silicone implants were fully re-approved for cosmetic and reconstructive procedures.
Modern Innovations
• Advances in Gel Technology:
– Early gels were less cohesive and more prone to rippling.
– Manufacturers developed “gummy bear” cohesive gels for a more stable shape.
• Shift Away From Textured Implants:
– Initially, cohesive gels were available only in textured, shaped implants.
– Reports in 2011 linked textured implants to a rare condition, BIA-ALCL.
– By 2016, the WHO recognized BIA-ALCL as a distinct disease, and textured implant use declined sharply.
Today’s Implants
Modern cohesive gel (“gummy”) implants are now available in round, smooth designs, which dominate the U.S. market. Textured and shaped implants are rarely used.
A Reputation Built on Results
Implant Shell
Outer breast implant shells are made from a silicone elastomer and can be smooth or textured. The U.S. manufacturers Mentor, Allergan, and Sientra all make smooth devices with virtually no surface texture. They tend to be well tolerated by the body but do have an increased risk of capsular contracture (a thickening of scar tissue around the implant) when placed above the muscle. Allergan’s textured implants were removed from the market due to a higher risk of BIA-ALCL than other devices. Mentor and Sientra continue to offer textured implants in both round and smooth configurations. They may be appropriate implants for some patients but are rarely used due to the low but still present risk of BIA-ALCL.
Saline Implants
Saline breast implants are filled with sterile saltwater that is safely absorbed by the body if a rupture occurs. These implants have been used for decades and remain an option for women who want a natural alternative to silicone and the reassurance of an implant that’s easy to monitor.
Advantages of Saline Implants
- Filled with sterile saline, which is a safe, biocompatible, and naturally absorbed fluid
- Provide immediate visibility of ruptures, with no need for MRI or ultrasound monitoring
- Offer a lower cost than silicone implants
- Approved by the FDA for patients aged 18 and older
Drawbacks of Saline Implants
- Can feel less natural and may show rippling in thinner patients
- Have a slightly higher rupture rate than silicone implants
- Are more visible or palpable in women with minimal breast tissue
Saline implants typically work best for women with adequate soft tissue coverage and thicker breast skin, where the implant edges are less likely to show.
Serene™ Implants
The Serene Implant, formerly Ideal Implant, is an advanced saline implant designed to improve the look and feel of traditional saline devices. Its innovative internal structure divides the saline into multiple chambers with baffles, reducing sloshing and rippling for a smoother, more natural result.
Serene implants have a lower rupture rate than standard saline implants—comparable to some silicone models—and typically maintain their shape even if one chamber leaks, minimizing visible deflation. They are an excellent choice for women who prefer saline but want a more natural look and feel.
Augmentation With Saline Implants Before and After Photos
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Silicone Implants
Silicone implants have a silicone elastomer shell and are pre-filled with silicone gel. At the time of surgery, they are simply removed from their sterile packaging, irrigated with a solution, and inserted into the breast, sometimes with an insertion device or funnel. Silicone breast implants are FDA-approved for patients over the age of 22 for cosmetic purposes and for patients of any age for reconstruction.
Motiva®
Motiva implants are the newest generation of silicone gel breast implants, approved by the FDA in 2024. They are filled with a unique, soft, form-stable silicone gel that closely mimics the feel and movement of natural breast tissue. The outer shell features Motiva’s SmoothSilk®/SilkSurface® texture, designed to promote healthy tissue integration and reduce complications such as capsular contracture. Motiva implants come in 2 styles: Ergonomix®, which naturally shifts the breast shape with movement, and Round, which maintains a fuller upper contour.
Silicone Gel Type
Silicone implants from the 4 manufacturers are filled with gels that vary based on cohesiveness, firmness, flow characteristics, and a variety of more esoteric properties. In the past, implants could simply be considered cohesive or not. As the manufacturers have increased their offerings, it is perhaps more informative to view silicone implants as a continuum of “gumminess.”
- Softer gels: On the less cohesive side, both Allergan and Mentor continue to offer 4th generation gels that are quite soft and fairly liquid—they would not be considered “gummy.” The technology is older than that of other devices on the market, but they are time-tested and still chosen by many patients and surgeons.
- Firmer gels: In the middle of the “gumminess” spectrum would be Mentor Boost implants, Allergan’s Soft Touch, Sientra’s HSC, and Motiva’s Ergonomix.
- Gummy bear implants: On the firmer side are Allergan’s Cohesive implants, Sientra’s HSC+, and Motiva’s Round devices.
This is an oversimplification, but it may be a useful way to view the implants.
Implant Shape
Breast implants can be round or shaped (also called teardrop or anatomic). Here are some differences:
- Shaped: Designed to follow a natural breast contour that is thin and narrower at the top and fuller at the bottom, shaped implants have a textured surface that keeps them oriented properly. This texture has fallen out of favor due to ALCL risk, the potential for rotation resulting in deformity of the breast, and complications like late seroma.
- Round: With round implants, the base of the implant is circular. Rotation is not an issue, and the smooth shell surface is well tolerated, making the implants a bit more forgiving.
Which implant shape looks more natural?
It is important to understand that shaped implants do not necessarily look more natural, and round implants don’t need to look obvious (although they certainly can). A number of studies have shown that neither surgeons nor the lay public can reliably differentiate between round and shaped implants based on postoperative results. The size of the implant, the degree of projection, and the patient’s soft tissue properties will affect the shape of the breast much more than the shape of the implant will.
Implant Profile
The profile of an implant refers to the degree of projection it has relative to its base diameter. A lower-profile implant will look flatter than a higher-profile one. Choice of implant profile is limited to the base diameter of the breast. A patient wanting a smaller volume of augmentation will tend to need a lower profile, less projected implant, while a woman wanting more volume in the same base diameter will require more projection to keep the implant from getting too wide.
While you might think high-profile implants create more upper pole fullness, wider implants fill out the top of the breast more significantly. A high-profile implant may be appropriate, but only when the base diameter constraints and desired implant volumes dictate it.
Implant Selection
Choosing the right breast implant requires the insight and experience of a skilled surgeon who accounts for your existing breast tissue, unique anatomy, and aesthetic goals. Our surgeons guide patients through the selection process using their clinical expertise and advanced visualization with Vectra 3D imaging to simulate realistic postoperative results for any implant on the market. Vectra can also illustrate how a breast lift may work alongside an implant, if needed.
In addition, we use in-bra sizers to give patients a tangible sense of how different implants look and feel. By blending these tools with the surgeons’ knowledge of anatomy, aesthetics, and long-term outcomes, patients are empowered to make an informed choice that consistently meets their expectations.
Longevity of Breast Implants
Most patients want to know how often they should change their implants, but there is no clear-cut answer. Despite the technological advancement of silicone implants, they are not lifetime devices and can rupture. Much of the public has the misconception that implants should be changed every 10 years, despite a lack of data supporting this belief. Given the long lifespan of modern implants, elective replacement can often be spread out to 15- or 20-year intervals, especially if appropriate monitoring with MRI or ultrasound is being performed. If a rupture is detected on an MRI or ultrasound, the FDA recommends that those implants be exchanged.
Silicone Implant Monitoring for Rupture
When a silicone implant ruptures, the gel stays within the breast scar pocket, and the breast typically exhibits no outward symptoms. (This contrasts with saline implants, which tend to go flat over a period of days.) Over time, the leaking silicone can be irritating to the surrounding tissues and can result in a capsular contracture if left untreated. However, there do not appear to be any systemic health risks from ruptured silicone.
To diagnose ruptures, the FDA and various manufacturers recommend periodic surveillance of the implants using either MRI or ultrasound, beginning 5 or 6 years postoperatively and continuing every 2 or 3 years thereafter. Ultrasound, in particular, is a very accurate, cost-effective, and convenient screening modality. At The Center for Cosmetic Surgery, we have embraced this technology and offer in-office ultrasound screening for our past patients and current consultations. In addition to diagnosing implant ruptures, ultrasound is a useful tool for visualizing fluid collections around implants, one of the most common presenting symptoms for BIA-ALCL.
Implant Warranties
All breast implants come with manufacturer’s warranties that cover some of the complications that can arise. The details of these warranties vary based on the manufacturer and the type of implant. At the very least, implants are guaranteed against rupture for the life of the patient, and a patient with a ruptured implant can expect to receive 2 implants from the manufacturer at no charge at any time after surgery. The implants may be free, but there will likely be additional costs for surgical and facility fees. Manufacturers will often provide some sort of financial compensation to help defray these additional costs if the implant ruptures within a specific time after surgery.
Other complications, such as capsular contracture, late seroma, and suspected ALCL, may be covered to some degree under the various warranties. A thorough discussion regarding the details of applicable warranties is an essential component of the consultation process. Links to the manufacturers’ websites are provided below and will detail the current implant warranties. Patients who already have breast implants can call the manufacturers with their serial numbers to find out exactly what warranty coverage was provided at the time of their surgery, as current coverage may be different from what they are entitled to. Our team members are experts at helping patients navigate warranty issues and can contact the manufacturers on patients’ behalf to clarify any uncertainties.
Below is a summary of some of the manufacturers’ warranty information:
MENTOR™ Breast Implants Warranty
Natrelle® ConfidencePlus® Warranty
Motiva® Implants Always Confident Warranty®
Sientra Platinum20 Product Replacement and Limited Warranty Program
OUR EXCEPTIONAL PLASTIC SURGEONS
Board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. Steven Vath, Dr. Andrew Wolfe, Dr. Paul Steinwald, Dr. Matthew Freeman, and Dr. Teresa Cunningham lead our patient-centered practice with warmth, honesty, and respect.
BREAST IMPLANT ALTERNATIVES
Breast implants remain the most predictable means of enlarging the breast. They have limitations, however, so the search for alternative means of breast enhancement continues. After years of research and improvements in technique, fat grafting is a viable alternative for breast enlargement in some women. With this process, live fat cells are harvested from areas of relative abundance with liposuction, washed and filtered, and then grafted into the breast, where some portion of those cells will survive, providing long-term fullness. For some patients, fat grafting can be used in combination with a breast implant to achieve the desired result, while other women may do well with fat grafting alone. Good candidates for fat grafting will have extra fat in some areas of their body, with the inner thighs and lower abdomen being excellent donor areas due to an abundance of stem cells in these fat deposits.
Making your cosmetic goals a reality is easier than ever with our flexible financing options:
LEARN MORE ABOUT FINANCING OPTIONS
The Center for Cosmetic Surgery has two plastic surgery offices conveniently located in the Denver metropolitan area. One is located just outside of Denver in lovely Golden, Colorado, immediately off 6th Ave West, and the other is located downtown in Cherry Creek, Denver. Please schedule a personal consultation to learn what plastic surgery can do for you. Simply call (303) 278-2600 or request your consultation online.
