What are the differences between smooth and textured breast implants?
Breast implant shells have a smooth (left) or textured (right) surface. As a natural reaction to any device placed in the body, scar tissue will form around the breast implant surface, creating a capsule. In some women, the capsule can tighten, harden, and squeeze the implant. This occurrence is called capsular contracture. Textured breast implants were originally designed to reduce the chance of capsular contracture. Some information in the literature on small numbers of patients suggests that surface texturing reduces the chance of severe capsular contracture, but, according to Mentor Corporation, clinical information from studies of a large number of women with Mentor breast implants shows no difference in the likelihood of developing capsular contracture with textured breast implants compared to smooth-surfaced breast implants. Textured breast implants are generally firmer than smooth breast implants, due to the thicker shell. There are some reports that textured breast implants ta
