New Gummy Bear Tear Drop Silicone Impants - anyone have them?

I'm just 6 days post-implant surgery and had asked for the gummy bear naturally shaped implants, thinking they'd be soft. The tissue expanders were in for an almost unbearable 10 months because I decided to wait for my experienced plastic surgeon to return from a working sabbatical. So I couldn't wait to get the nasty hard things out and my soft new implants in...except that they're NOT soft. They're hard and shaped like round mounds, not like breasts--fuller at bottom, natural slope, etc. These don't look natural at all. Too perky and high for a 67 year old woman, even though I specifically asked him to avoid perky.

I've emailed my doctor, but he hasn't replied yet, so I don't know whether this is normal (are they always hard a week after surgery?) or whether I had another shape or type of implant put in. I realize that I don't have any of the detailed info yet on them, but just wondered if hardness was normal after a week?

I had a double mastectomy almost a year ago after cancer found in the right breast and abnormalities in the left.

Clean margin and no node involvement. Oncotype test said no radiation or chemotherapy.

Had a year on Arimidex, but it sapped my energy terribly. Switched to Aromasin and so far feel like myself again.

Hi Widdershins, 

Gummy bears, which are form stable to keep their anatomical shape, are firmer than silicone rounds which are still cohesive but not true cohesive/form stable (the silicone jiggles and shifts more with gravity). Gummies are definitely the firmest of the silicone options. My silicone smooth rounds (not gummies!) are still firm and not quite like my natural breast tissue was, but I can squish and jiggle them around.

It sounds like you are looking for more ptosis? Generally to achieve that they want to stretch the skin more than the final implant they will be putting in. This will allow for a bit more "droop" over the IMF.

BC101- Thanks for the well wishes, I certainly a little anxious to get this over with and pray that I am happy with the results, Have to be at hospital at 6am so I have to leave the house at 430 and pick up daughter who will then drive me home afterwards. I had my perscriptions filled already and think I just might take a Norco before bed to help me fall asleep, will let you now how things go

Widdershins - I always had hard breasts so I don't find the Allergan 410s too hard.  I had mine placed Sept 2011 and am very happy with them.  You're only 6 days out so there's still a lot of swelling & healing going on.  While 410's don't "drop & fluff" the same as rounds, they do settle.  You should see a lot of change over the first 6-8 weeks.  Don't panic yet.

Thank you! A week after my surgery and still no answer from my surgeon to my email asking about the implants' hardness...disappointing. I'd think that it would be a very common question from patients and that either he or the nurses I spoke to would have prepared me for what I'd find when I removed the surgical bra. Especially knowing that I'd chosen to put up with nasty tissue expanders for much longer than normal in order to have this particular surgeon do my reconstruction surgery. I was looking forward so much to much softer, breast-like things on my chest.

But I feel much better now. Breast cancer and reconstruction are a waiting game and I've learned to let go of my desire for a quick fix (or a quick anything else!) and get on with life while the process continues. I mean, here we are, living in a time when reconstruction may not be perfect, but most women with any kind of insurance are entitled to it, assuming they want it, after mastectomy. I'm very grateful for that and for the fact that I'm alive to be worrying over cosmetic issues.

10 days out from exchange to 410's from the round 20's and so far Im loving them

I am 6 mos. out from BMX with skin sparing surgery & immediate Gummy Bear placement.  I had a second surgery 2 weeks after that on the left, because the implant migrated up into my neck & underarm.  It was wedged.  In 1/15, I began to experience pain and loss of ROM in my left arm.  I mentioned this to my BS at the 6 mos. recheck.  She sent me for PT.  I think it's working.  The PS also ordered an ultrasound of the left breast at the 6 mos. recheck.  It revealed fluid around the implant & two lymph nodes filled with silicon.  I got a call yesterday that I need an MRI.  Anyone else have this experience?  What was the outcome?

I just got my implants in February 18th, 2015, 4 days ago. I always have been positive and encourage people, but I am so depressed, that I got myself off of Facebook and want to hide and crawl under a rock and never come out. My PS is great in what she does, but does not explain much in detail. I guess I expected to feel relieved from the TEs being removed and have the look of somewhat new boobs that would move and bounce. Well...... I HATE MY IMPLANTS!!! I look ugly and I look deformed and no way near do they look like boobs. Lets face it, I want these things out and give me back my expanders. I had no problems with my expanders and I looked awesome when I wore a cami over my expanders. But these DEFORMED IMPLANTS look horrible. I don't look normal. I have Mentor ultra high profile, tear drop, textured (gummybear) 555 cc with memory gel and they are uncomfortable, hard as rock, don't move at all, and looks like someone took abnormal size rocks and glued them to my chest. Plastics said they were gummybears and have been approved just recently for the USA, but been around for years in Europe. Implants are super heavy and I am in miserable discomfort. I am angry, sad, miserable which is now pushing me into depression. I don't want to be seen, yet I will be starting work Tuesday because I need to work to pay $15,000 for these crappy implants because of a high deductible and having to meet a whole new deductible of 2015 because of being diagnosed the end of 2014 and finishing up with these ugly implants for 2015. I have to wear this horrible grip vise tightest sports bra ever made with an Ace wrap wrapped on my upper chest that digs into my armpits. When I had my DMX with immediate reconstruction, I did not wear a bra since DMX. In 4 days, I have developed what looks like a rug burn or road rash with some areas of my skin starting to bleed. I have to keep this God forsaken grip corset device on me for the next 2 weeks because plastics is concerned my implants will shift and ride up. I had allograft placed during my mastectomy, Nov 12th, and so there will not be a problem settling downward. I feel like I can't breathe normally or move normally. I will admit that the plastic surgeon did a great job by keeping my implants symmetrical, even, and identical to each other. I had cancer in BOTH breasts to top it off which is rare. It is just these implants NO WAY NEAR look like boobs, but look deformed, square box looking and take up every inch of room in my chest. Now I have this fatpad or extra skin under my arm near the implants which I NEVER HAD BEFORE. I swear these implants make me look even more deformed than ever. I cannot accept this emotionally right now. If I didn't have to work, I would stay in the house all year. I have NEVER acted like this before in my life. I have always been outgoing and helpful and caring, but yep, this surgery did me in. I am acting like a me, me, me, and it looks like I am in a self-pity mode. If you knew me, you would be shocked because this is SOOOO not me. My teenager daughter cannot believe I am acting like this because I am the one who loves to help out others and care so much for people. I completely apologize for my attitude. I look like I have (2) Sponge Bob Square Pants in my chest.

Just as FYI, Mentor "memory gel" implants are NOT gummies. They are a cohesive gel but not the extra cohesive/form stable gel of "gummies".

Sugar toes, you DO have to give them time. You are only days out of surgery and will have tons of swelling and well as tightness right now as your pectoral muscles are squeezing down on the implants. They are going to look square, flattened, and kind of weird. This is absolutely normal at this point and we have almost ALL been there. It takes TIME for the swelling to go down, the muscles to relax, and the implants to drop and fluff into place. I had swelling for weeks, even when I thought it was gone it was not, my implants were VERY firm, up very high,and it was only at about 5-6 months they were really relaxed and settled in place - and yes, soft, squishy, and with nice shape. Trust me, I looked like my chest had been run over right after surgery - black and blue, swollen, with breasts up at my collarbone. Things DO change

Please give them time, patience is hard after all of this I know but you need to let things heal and give them time. You cannot judge your result a few days out of surgery, heck, not even weeks or the early months after surgery

I can also attest to the "all kinds of weird" just after exchange. I also had fat grafting at the same time, so I looked and felt like I had been beat up in a dark alley. I wasn't prepared for that. When I awoke in the hospital and went to the bathroom for the first time, I just had to sneak a peek. I'm sure everyone within earshot heard me say "OMG it's square!!!" Indeed, the left one looked squarish. A day or two later when I was high on pain meds I called the nurse and put in some venting time. But just like DiveCat said, give it time. I was very very swollen for several months. I think it took at least six months for my implants to settle into their final shape. I love them now and wouldn't change a thing. They are very soft and pliable. They move and even slide to one side or the other if I'm laying on my side. They look and act just like regular boobs. They never felt hard to me, although I had dense breasts all my life, so I'm not used to squishy anyway. I love the natural look that the gummies provide.

If it doesn't get better over time, of course you can always have revision surgery. I know that isn't what you want to hear right now. Just after my exchange I had concerns that I was too big, and that they were too low, too wide, etc. But you really should give it time to see the final effect. My PA told me to wait at least 4 months before judging. Have you expressed your concerns to your PS's office?

My PS is a total jerk. I never talk to him. But thankfully the PA is super nice. She's always willing to lend an ear and going to see her is like visiting with a friend. That really helped me a lot.

Good luck and keep us posted

Becky63. YOU LOOK AMAZING! Looks like you had skin sparring mastectomy. You hardly have scars and they are healing up nicely. You look fabulous. Do your implants move at all or jiggle? I miss my boobs and my nipples. I look like I have (2) sponge bob square pants in my chest. Thank you sooooo much for posting pictures. It helps my mind and emotional well being, because in the last 24 hours, I have been having a tantrum. I am having a me, me, me attack and being selfish and if you know me, you would be shocked that I am acting this way because I am the one who helps others. I have done well with everything since being diagnosed with cancer in both breasts, but these last few days have just hit me with this reconstruction phase. Again, thank you for taking your precious time posting this. It really, really helped me.

I am now having this crackling, popping noise that you can hear and sensation when I put my fingers just below the right clavicle and push up and down, (palpating) my skin near the clavicle with my fingers. What in the world is that? I do not have it on my left clavicle/collar bone area.

Thanks Becky63. I will be thinking of you this week.

Minus Two please see my 2/22/15 note. That's what is written on my identification card. The PS calls them gummy bears. They are anatomically correct/tear drops.