[LIGHTWEIGHT IMPLANTS FOR BREAST AUGMENTATION AND BREAST RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY - AN EASY SOLUTION TO A WEIGHTY...

Implant based breast augmentation and reconstruction are highly prevalent surgeries performed worldwide. Despite the high level of safety associated with these surgeries, surgical intervention is often associated with post-operative complications, some of which have been directly related to the soft tissue biomechanics and the response to compression and loading forces exerted by the weight of the implant, and not necessarily its volume. Here we discuss the issue of weight, based upon the fundamental laws of physics, and present a solution with the development of a novel breast implant technology. The B-Lite® lightweight breast implant (G&G Biotechnology Ltd., Haifa, Israel) enables the surgeon to achieve the patient's desired breast size and shape while reducing both the risk of damage to the integrity and stability of the breast tissue as well as the risk of long-term breast tissue deformity. Such avoidance of tissue compromise and deformation as well as, ultimately, reoperation improves both patient safety and satisfaction. The lightweight implant, considered the world's first and only implant of its kind, represents a pioneering and meaningful innovation in plastic surgery, and may further improve the clinical outcomes of implant based breast augmentation and breast reconstruction. Disclosure: The authors are the sons of Dr. Jacky Govrin Yehudain, the inventor of the B-Lite® implant discussed in the article.