We have light bread. Light butter. Light potato chips. Light beer.
Well, why not light breast implants?
Does it sound like a crazy, bizarre idea from someone who has too much time on their hands?
Or breasts on their minds?
Perhaps, they’ve been frequenting the local marijuana dispensary a bit too often?
You may be thinking “what exactly are light breast implants?” Or, if you understand that part you may then be wondering if there really is a need for a light (or lite) version of breast implants.
Let’s for a minute parallel this with the iconic Budweiser beer commercial for Bud Lite: tastes great – less filling. The beer has the same great taste as the regular one but with fewer calories.
Paraphrasing this for breast implants, we get: looks great – less weight. That is, the same great looking breasts/breast implants but with 30% less weight.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could have exactly the same great results from your breast augmentation or mastopexy augmentation yet have breast implants that are significantly lighter in weight?
This would be particularly advantageous for those with relatively large sized breast implants as they would have less additional weight to carry around thereby creating an even more comfortable situation. A lighter weight on one’s chest when laying down or sleeping can make it even easier to breathe. There also may even be less “bounce” or vertical excursion of the breasts particularly when jumping or jogging (see scientific formula: momentum = MV where “V” is the volume and “M” is the mass of the implant. A 30% weight reduction translates into the same percentage reduction in momentum: 0.7*MV.)
And now for the most up to date news: this light breast implant is a reality. >It has been researched, designed, manufactured and implanted in several women in Israel.
This lighter breast implant was invented by an Israeli plastic surgeon and his brother, who is a biochemical engineer. The implant uses the exact same silicone envelope, medical grade silicone gel as well as the manufacturing processes already employed in construction of present day implants, and is produced in the same factories. The difference is that hollow, inert microspheres are dispersed throughout the silicone gel using a patented technology, taking up volume and reducing the amount of gel needed for a given implant size. The result is a 30% reduction in weight for any implant size over conventional ones.
These implants have already received regulatory approval for usage in Europe. They should also be available in Israel in the near future.
As for usage here in the United States, that is a WHOLE different story. Because it will require approval by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), we may be looking at possibly 7 – 10 years or more before they become available for implantation here (that is, if they even are approved!).
So even though these light breast implants sound fantastic, if you are contemplating a breast augmentation or a breast lift with implants, I suggest that you not wait around until they become available. You may be waiting for a VERY long time.
For more information on breast implants or breast augmentation or for any other plastic surgery procedure that I perform, or to schedule a consultation with me, please contact my office at 480-451-3000.
Steven H. Turkeltaub, M.D. P.C.
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona