A neurosurgeon performing cosmetic surgery in Beverly Hills recently announced a patent for a new implant type to be used during breast implant surgery. A few sources are hailing the “micro” implants as the next stage in breast implant evolution, but I’m skeptical of their proposed advantages.

Possible Benefits of the “Micro” Implants

Dr. William Brennan’s approach involves creating an implant pocket through a small incision, then filling that pocket with hundreds of raisin-sized silicone breast implants. This procedure has yet to undergo clinical trials, but some suggested benefits include:

• Less bruising than submuscular implants (which could mean less postoperative soreness)
• Quicker recovery
• A more “natural” look than current silicone or saline implants
• Less scarring because a smaller incision is required

A Closer Look at the Differences

Comfort: This procedure, like the transaxillary (under-the-arm) approach, would minimize scarring, and Dr. Brennan claims less soreness because the micro implants are placed above the chest muscle. However, the technique he describes would still require the surgeon to form a pocket to hold the implants, which doesn’t substantially differ from the subglandular approach to breast augmentation that is currently practiced across the country.

Recovery: As a responsible breast implant surgeon in New Jersey, I already implement “Rapid Recovery” techniques that can help a woman heal within 24 hours of her breast augmentation procedure. Some surgeons have much longer recovery times because they fail to use these techniques. Recovery in a day or two after a micro implants procedure seems unimpressive.

Natural Look: Dr. Brennan hopes smaller implants would distribute weight more naturally. However, initial results are only part of an overall “natural” look. I have to suspect that a larger number of smaller implants would have a greater tendency to migrate or shift into a new position, ending up looking even less natural than traditional implants.

Internal Scarring: Because the micro implants require a normal implant pocket, they would still pose risks of capsular contracture (excessive scarring that puts pressure on the breast implant). My breast enlargement patients in New Jersey find that postoperative breast massage can significantly minimize the risk of capsular contracture, but massage may not be an option for patients using micro implants, if manipulation of the breast right after recovery could change the shape the implants will settle into during the healing process. Natural scarring may limit implant migration, but if not, massage limitations and the greater surface area of the implants could increase your degree of scarring.

My Conclusions

While Dr. Brennan and I share an overriding concern to minimize pain, as a plastic surgeon who performs a full range of breast augmentation procedures in New Jersey and Philadelphia, I am not yet convinced that these micro implants are the best way to accomplish that goal. I would need to see more about the science behind these implants and clinical trials to be able to judge how they affect aesthetic outcomes and what new complications they might involve.

Popularity: 53% [?]