Gummy Bear vs. Saline

Dr Lomonaco,

Thank you for the information.  I just had my Mentor implants placed on October 8th in Mexico, and I have received my warranty cards with all of the information on them.  This card is from Mentor for a specific warranty in Mexico because it is a free warranty here.   I don't understand why it would be void when it specifically says a warranty for Mexico.  Can you help me with this please?  I have spoken to Dr Sauceda about this and he assures me that my implants do have a warranty on them,

Thanks

Jessica

Hi Jessica,

The company reps here in the states will simply confirm the info posted on their websites...that the warranty is valid only in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

For saline:

• Lifetime Product Replacement
• 10 Years of Financial Assistance (up to $2400) for operating room, anesthesia, and surgical charges not covered by insurance from the date of implant⁵
• Free Contralateral (Opposite Side) Breast Implant Replacement Upon Surgeon Request
• Non-Cancelable Terms

For Silicone placed through December 2009:

• Lifetime product replacement policy

• This warranty applies to expenses occurring from a confirmed rupture for up to 10 years from the date of implant surgery

• The warranty pays up to $3,500 financial assistance for operating room, anesthesia, and surgical charges not covered by insurance and applies only to implant surgeries from May 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009³.

• Free contralateral (opposite side) implant replacement upon surgeon request

• As in the past, starting January 1, 2010, optional warranty coverage will again be up to $2,400 and cost $100

• Non-cancelable terms

• This additional warranty coverage is free


I'm not sure about the terms and benefits are of the implants placed in Mexico. Perhaps you could let us know ? I'm assuming  you would need to travel back should there be a problem. 

My reason for mentioning this is that I know cost concerns are the reason many individuals consider medical tourism. 

So one of the financial aspects related to medical tourism is the warranty, which is worth quite a bit of money. Since implant failure is a known fact, I think it's worth considering.

Practically, I am frustrated when an individual comes to my office with an implant issue and the implant was placed out of the country, as they have no coverage and were in may cases unaware of this.

Glad to see you are feeling well and posting !

Happy healing,

Dr. L.
 

 

Hi Dr L,

I looked up on the mentorcorp website, and looked under the international programs.  It has a link to Mexico and their warranty information.  It is a free warranty, and I would assume I would need to come back to Mexico for that.  I would want to return to Dr Sauceda anyway since he is the one that placed them. 

Isn't the U.S. warranty that is valid right now a promotional offer that expires on Dec 31, 2009?  I see that it changed in May, 2009 and only goes through the end of the year.  After that, will it cost money to buy the warranty, or will it still be free with less coverage?  I couldn't find that info on the website, but I thought you might know.

Jessica

Hi.

Yes, the $3500 financial assistance is a free promotion they have until the end of 2009, then it goes back to a free warranty for lifetime implant replacement and limited financial assistance. For $100 you can get the higher dollar financial assist.

I read the warranty (in Spanish) from Mexico, it's  different from the one in the U.S in that:

1. Its free, but does NOT give the $100 option for enhanced coverage

2. Financial assistance goes to $1000 vs. $2400 in the U.S.

3. There is not an allowance for a free matching implant on the other side should the patient want a size change up or down

4. It applies to implants placed after 2006

5. It has a different name

I have been told that there is a difference in the actual implants that are distributed in the U.S. vs. Mexico.  These are just "reports" but I will not post the facts until the companies get back to me.

Best,

JL

Thank you Dr L for that information. Appreciate your research and I'm interested in what you find out regarding the facts of the 'reports'.

Dr. L,

I have been told I have very limited tissue. ( I started out as a 46DDD or E and am now a 36D, all skin) Which implant is generally the best for this situation?

Hi Mendee, the "gummy bear"  implants are best for patients with reatively tight skin, so I think very few WLS patients may be a candidate.  Thin tissue will predispose you to wrinkling of visiblity of the implant edges, so a gel implant may be your best bet.

So when you say gel, you are talking about the cohesive gel implants, correct??  Vs the silicone which is the form-stable .  you stated those (form stable) are the true gummy bear implants and are basically solid.

So I'm assuming since it is a more solid form, with thinner tissue, they do not provide an aesthetic look and feel???

The real problem with "gummy bear" implants is that they are all teardrop-shaped (or anatomical) to look right. As such, they can rotate (or "spin") and that looks odd, requiring a revision surgery to fix.

So right now, women with loose skin are generally not considered good candidates, as the implants have a higher chance of rotating.

These implants are a specialized product that may be very helpful in first-time augmentation patients, those  who have suffered from capsular contracture, those who have thin, tight skin with rippling, and in cancer reconstruction. 

Dr Bill Adams presented his data in 500 cases of "gummy bear" implants at the last Santa Fe Breast and Body Contouring Symposium in Spetember, and I had a chance to get in detail with him on the best uses of these implants.

http://www.theplasticsurgerychannel.com/plastic-surgery-proc edures/breast-aesthetics/cohesive-gel-breast-implants/form-s table-breast-implants-style-410-fda-clinical-trials.html

Go to 8:37 for the section on "what patients are candidates for gummy bears?"