Why Textured Breast Implants Are Best Avoided

If you’re planning to boost your bra size via cosmetic surgery, make sure you opt for smooth, non-textured implants. That’s the take-home message from a new Australian study that compared bacterial buildups on different types of breast implant. It found that implants with a textured surface have a far higher chance of developing biofilm coatings. On the downside, smooth implants have a higher chance of flipping upside down.

A new study from the Australian School of Advanced Medicine at Macquarie University has confirmed that breast implants with textured surfaces present more suitable conditions for bacteria to grow on than smooth varieties. At the 24-hour point of in vitro testing, researchers found that textured implants had 72 times the number of bacteria attached to their surface as smooth implants. This is because the rougher surface inadvertently encourages bacteria growth.

“Our previous research has shown that the majority of contracture complications are due to
a low-grade infection (biofilm) around the implants, most likely caused at the time of
insertion,” head researcher Professor Anand Deva said.

“Biofilm on the implant surface is increasingly understood to be responsible for initiating inflammation and hardening of the tissue around the implant. Surgeons using textured implants have to be especially careful not to introduce bacterial contamination at the time of implant insertion.”

Textured implants provide a better grip for the implants to adhere to the surrounding tissue which reduces the likelihood of the implant ‘flipping’, but the above risks arguably negate the benefits.

What’s your opinion on breast implants, textured or otherwise? Do women worry too much about their appearance or is society to blame? Here’s your chance to get it all off your chest. Sorry.

The role of bacterial biofilms in device-associated infection [PubMed]