Motiva implants are the newest generation of breast implants available in the USA, approved by the FDA in September 2024. They are designed by Establishment Labs, a Women’s Health Company that focuses on prioritizing patient safety and clinical outcomes. This is a 6^th generation implant designed with cutting-edge implant gel and shell technology. I’ve been in practice long enough to say that I’ve had lots of experience placing 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th generation implants, and removing ALL of the previous generations! Makes Dr. MacLennan feel old. Nevertheless, this long experience has given her a great perspective on the evolution of safety in breast implants over time.

While Motiva implants are newly available for use in the United States, they have been used for about 14 years in Europe and are a very popular implant there. Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery is one of the first practices in New England to have access to this new technology for our patients.

What’s Different About Motiva?

Motiva constructs implants with a special technology that bonds the elastic silicone gel to the implant shell to decrease rupture risk. In addition, the implants have a slight blue tint to them (most implants are clear) that helps surgeons confirm that the barrier layer of the implant is intact.

Most silicone gel implants in use today (and all implants in our practice) have a smooth surface. Smooth implants are considered safer than textured (rough surface) implants, due to some textured implants having an association with a very rare type of lymphoma called ALCL. Motiva implants have a microscopically “textured” surface that gives them an almost silky feel, but they are classified as smooth because this surface treatment is so microscopic. There have been no cases of ALCL with Motiva implants to date. In large studies internationally and in the USA before approval, Motiva implants had an extremely low capsular contracture rate of about 1% at 3 years.

Why Do We Care About Capsular Contracture?

Capsular contracture is one of the most common and vexing implant-related complications. It causes tightening of the scar tissue around an implant that can lead to firmness, asymmetry, and even pain. Once capsular contracture develops, it’s difficult to treat and often requires surgical intervention. Capsular contracture also carries a risk of happening again. Motiva implants can be a great tool to prevent initial and recurrent capsular contracture.

Less Invasive Breast Augmentation with More Advanced Implants

Since the early 1990s, most breast implants in the USA and Canada have been placed under the chest muscle in order to conceal the edges and normal ripples of implants. This isn’t a perfect technique, though, because sometimes the muscle pushes down too much on the implant and causes it to drop too low or too far to the side. It’s also a strange party trick to be able to flex your breasts by activating your chest muscles!

With improvements in 5^th and 6^th-generation implants, we can now place implants on top of the chest muscle, under the muscle fascia in some patients. This allows less/no muscle disruption and a faster recovery. Some of my favorite natural-looking results are subfascial augmentations. However, there are some women who previously may have been told that they are too thin for implants over muscle due to concerns about rippling or visibility. The technology of the Motiva implant allows for natural results above the muscle, even in thinner women and those who are seeking a natural, proportional result.

We’d love to talk more about breast augmentation with Motiva implants – give us a call at 802-444-4421!