An extremely common question I receive during a breast augmentation consultation is if I use the “gummy bear” breast implant. The short answer to this question is absolutely. The longer answer is that there are many different types of silicone gel breast implants available; and while all can be considered “gummy bear”, as you can cut any of them in half and they will continue to hold their shape, there are certainly different degrees of “cohesiveness”, or thickness, of the silicone gel filler present in each breast implant.

Allergan continues to develop and produce new options for their Natrelle Inspira brand breast implants. The Natrelle Inspira is an excellent implant with an improved gel to shell fill ratio that was designed to cause less rippling than older implants. There are now two more round silicone gel implants that have been added to the Natrelle Inspira line, the Inspira SoftTouch and Inspira Cohesive. The Inspira SoftTouch is filled with a medium firmness gel, and the Inspira Cohesive is filled with the most cohesive, and most “form stable” gel available. When compared to an actual gummy bear, the silicone gel in the Inspira Cohesive is probably the closest, although to me they all qualify; the difference is just the degree of cohesiveness.

As far as which gummy bear breast implant is “best”, a lot just comes down to personal preference, although individual skin and tissue quality may be a factor in choosing the optimal implant for a particular situation. Some women prefer a firmer breast implant will more upper pole fullness in their breast, while others may prefer a softer breast implant, and less upper pole fullness. The best way to decide which is best for you is to have a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon, where various measurements will be taken, assessments of skin quality can be made, and where you can feel actual gummy bear breast implants for yourself and discuss your personal preferences with the surgeon. More about breast augmentation can be found here.