Gummi Bear Breast Implants

The latest development in breast enlargement has doctors and patients refering to the new generation of enhancements as 'gummy bears'.

The nickname was conceived by Dr Grant Stevens, a well-known plastic surgeon in Marina Del Rey, California, who used the comparison one day to explain the texture and feel of the insert.

The FDA has just approved a new generation of breast enhancers that have been nicknamed 'gummy bear' implants

Using a 'form stable' silicone base, the new wave gel implants are similar to the rubbery sweets in that, if broken in half, retain their shape unlike their liquid predecessors.

The cosmetic surgeon explained to Allure Magazine: 'If you removed the shell covering, the silicone inside would retain its shape. I got tired of explaining to patients that they’re sort of like Jello - which, when you cut it in squares, holds its shape.

The form holding silicone implants are the similar to gummy bears in the soft look and feel and because when broken do not leak or rupture but retain their form

'One day I just said, "They’re like gummy bears."'

In a departure from saline alternatives, that if over-filled can become deflated or rippled and hard, 'gummy bears' are soft and squishy to the touch and therefore more natural to feel and look at.

Dr Grant Stevens came up with the name while trying to explain the texture to a client and the moniker stuck

Dr Stevens told KCal9: 'Gummy breast implants are the best of both worlds. They look like a breast, they feel like a breast. They don't develop deflation.

'And just like you've got different types of candies - you've got mama bear, baby bear and daddy bear - there are different types of gummy bear breast implants.'

The cohesive gel implants are the fifth generation of breast enlargers that until recently were only available as part of a case study.

Now, Sientra has been given the go-ahead by the FDA to manufacture the enhancements in round and tear-drop shapes.

'People come in and say they want a pair of bears', explained Dr Stevens who now performs the procedure in less than an hour.

The introduction of silicone as a base for implants drove demand through the roof according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery that found breast augmentation to be the second highest plastic surgery demanded by women in 2011.

Of 316,848 procedures performed, 69 per cent were done with silicone implants as opposed to saline.