The FDA has given the go ahead for Mentor breast implants to be used in breast augmentation and re-constructive surgery. Who is Mentor and what part do they play in the breast implant industry?

Mentor is a leading manufacturer of medical products in the USA as well as over 70 countries world-wide. Mentor breast implants are manufactured in both saline and silicon gel form. Manufacturing facilities are located in the United States as well as Europe. Mentor has been manufacturing, researching and testing breast implants for over 2 decades with nearly a million women utilising their products.

Mentor manufactures a variety of different profiles which gives you a better chance of matching your breast to your unique body structure. The profile, which refers to the relationship between the distance the implant projects outwards from the chest and the width of the base of the implant, comes in 3 distinct ranges. The first is a "Smooth Round Moderate Profile Implant" the second is the "Smooth Round Moderate Plus Profile Implant" and the third is the "Smooth Round High Profile Implant".

These implants can be used for enlarging the breast to give better proportion to your body, reshaping or enlarging breasts that have changed their shape due to breast feeding or to balance out breasts that have a difference in size or shape. Mentor breast implants also come in a variety of different formats. You may choose a textured implant that adheres better to the inside of the breast. This implant tends not to rotate which would give the breast a deformed appearance. You have the option of saline filled or silicone gel-filled implants. They even have an adjustable implant. The option that you choose will depend on your own personal circumstance and medical history and is best discussed fully with your doctor.

Mentor's implants come with a lifetime product warranty. Now that the FDA have approved the use of silicone gel-filled implants, you can once again utilise this technology in the case of breast augmentation or breast reconstruction. Silicone gel-filled implants are not without their risks. If you suffer from a number of conditions or diseases then your are advised not to make use of silicone implants. Some of these diseases are autoimmune diseases such as lupus, a weakened immune system due to prescription drugs, conditions where blood clotting and healing are not optimal and the use of radiation treatment after the surgery.

The final choice of using mentor breast implants is up to you. But as one of the world's leading medical manufacturers of breast implants, Mentor backs the quality and effectiveness of their products with almost 20 years of research and experience in the production of breast implants.

Ricardo de Silva is with PlasticSurgeonPractices.com - information on breast surgery.