When women research breast implants ahead of their breast augmentation, the conversation tends to centre on the two most recognised brands in the UK market. But there is a third name that experienced surgeons know well — and one that is increasingly sought out by patients who have done their research. Silimed is a Brazilian-founded implant manufacturer with over 45 years of history, a CE Mark for European use, and a body of clinical evidence that positions it as a serious alternative to the more widely marketed options.
At Centre for Surgery, we believe patients deserve complete, honest information about every implant option available to them. In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about Silimed breast implants — their history, product range, surface technologies, safety profile, warranty programme, and how they compare to other leading brands on the market. If you are considering breast augmentation surgery in London and want to understand whether Silimed is the right implant choice for you, read on.
Who Are Silimed?
Silimed — formally Silimed Indústria de Implantes Ltda — was founded in Brazil in 1978 and has grown to become the largest manufacturer of silicone gel implants in Latin America. Over more than four decades, the company has developed a reputation for manufacturing innovation, particularly in the area of implant surface technology, and for producing a more extensive range of surface options than any other implant manufacturer in the world.
Silimed implants carry the CE Mark for European use, confirming they meet the regulatory standards required for use in the UK and across Europe. They are also FDA-approved for the North American market — Silimed became the first manufacturer in the world to receive FDA approval for anatomical and round silicone implants coated with True Texture, their proprietary micro-textured surface, in 2012. Their implants are distributed in numerous countries and are used by plastic surgeons worldwide.
The Silimed Breast Implant Range
Silimed offers two main product lines for breast augmentation: the BioDesign Line and the Standard Line. Each addresses a different set of patient needs and surgical goals.
The BioDesign Line
The BioDesign Line is Silimed’s flagship innovation — a range of implants with an exclusive design concept built around female biotypes rather than fixed volume categories. The philosophy behind BioDesign is that the most natural result comes from matching the implant’s measurements to the patient’s individual chest dimensions, rather than simply selecting a volume. The range offers five distinct profiles, each developed for a different body type, and up to four projection options per profile — covering anatomical (teardrop) implants, round implants, and the conical Advance implant, which is exclusive to the European market.
The five BioDesign profiles address specific chest anatomies. Some are designed to fill the lower pole of the breast for women with shorter, wider chests. Others focus on upper pole projection for taller women with longer, narrower chest dimensions. This biotype-led approach allows surgeons to achieve genuinely tailored results rather than approximating fit from a standard catalogue.
The Standard Line
The Standard Line offers a classic round implant option designed for versatility across a wide range of indications. It is well-suited to patients seeking a more pronounced, fuller result with greater upper pole projection, and can be used across subglandular, submuscular, and dual plane placements. It is also suitable for primary reconstruction cases.
Soft Plus
Soft Plus is a round implant developed as an evolution of the classic smooth surface, incorporating Silimed’s HSC+ high-strength cohesive gel with the BioDesign concept of projection-matched sizing. Like the BioDesign range, it offers different projections for each base size, allowing the desired projection to be achieved without unnecessarily increasing volume — a key consideration for patients seeking a more natural and proportionate outcome. The Soft Plus surface has an opaque smooth finish with an arithmetic roughness of approximately 5 micrometres.
Silimed’s Four Implant Surfaces
One of Silimed’s most significant differentiators in the global implant market is that it is the only breast implant manufacturer in the world to offer four distinct surface options. The choice of surface has a direct bearing on outcomes including capsular contracture rates, implant stability, and the risk of rotation — so understanding what each surface offers is important when making an informed decision about implants.
Pure Polyurethane
Silimed has been manufacturing polyurethane foam-coated implants for over 35 years — longer than any other manufacturer — giving it unmatched clinical experience with this surface type. The polyurethane coating adheres to surrounding tissue through a process called vulcanisation, with no use of adhesive, which avoids the risk of double capsule formation. The adhesion also significantly reduces the risk of implant rotation and displacement, making polyurethane-coated implants particularly appropriate for patients with ptosis or those where implant positional stability is a primary concern. Clinical data reports a capsular contracture rate of just 1% over ten years with Pure Polyurethane implants — one of the lowest rates documented for any implant surface.
True Texture
True Texture is Silimed’s proprietary micro-textured surface, produced using a unique Diffusion Gas Method that creates an open-pore membrane structure without the use of negative imprinting, sugar, or sodium chloride. This manufacturing method is entirely Silimed’s own and results in a surface with a consistently low capsular contracture rate of 9% over ten years. True Texture is available on both anatomical and round implants within the BioDesign range and was the first textured surface of its kind to receive FDA approval for both implant shapes.
Soft Plus Surface
The Soft Plus surface is a smooth surface with a very fine arithmetic roughness of approximately 5 micrometres — sitting between a truly smooth implant and a micro-textured one. It is the surface used on the Soft Plus round implant range and is particularly suited to patients seeking upper pole fullness with a more prominent projection in a primary augmentation or reconstruction setting.
Smooth Surface
Silimed also produces implants with a classic smooth surface for cases where this is the most clinically appropriate choice. Smooth implants move more freely within the breast pocket and are associated with a softer, more natural feel for many patients.
The Silimed HSC+ Gel
All Silimed implants are filled with their proprietary HSC or HSC+ high-strength cohesive silicone gel — a formulation that has been in clinical use for many years and has an extensive safety record. The gel is designed to closely mimic the feel and movement of natural breast tissue, while maintaining the structural integrity that prevents migration in the event of implant rupture. The consistency of the gel varies slightly across different implant types to optimise the characteristics most relevant to each design — firmer in implants designed for pronounced projection and upper pole fullness, softer in those designed for the most natural movement and feel.
Silimed Safety and Clinical Evidence
The safety profile of Silimed implants is supported by substantial clinical evidence accumulated over more than four decades of use worldwide. Key points from the clinical record include the following.
A prospective postmarket study of Silimed polyurethane foam-coated implants, covering 342 patients over a five-year follow-up period, reported zero cases of capsular contracture and zero implant ruptures. The reoperation rate over this period was 1.76%, with high patient satisfaction scores — 88.69% for primary augmentation and 86% for revision cases. Crucially, no cases of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) were identified in this cohort, supporting the safety profile of Silimed’s polyurethane surface technology in particular.
Ten-year core study data for the Silimed-Sientra HSC and HSC+ range — the same silicone gel used in Silimed implants — confirmed an extremely safe rupture profile and demonstrated performance superior to other manufacturers reviewed in the same period. This body of evidence gives both surgeons and patients a high degree of confidence in the long-term durability of Silimed implants.
All Silimed products are manufactured to ISO 13485 — the internationally recognised quality management standard for medical devices — and the company operates under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. You can read more about general implant safety considerations in our guide on breast implant safety.
Silimed’s Product Replacement Programme (PSPS)
Silimed offers a Product Replacement Programme — known as the PSPS — which provides implant replacement cover in the event of rupture due to a manufacturing defect, or Baker grade III or IV capsular contracture. For UK patients, the programme includes lifetime replacement cover for proven rupture due to a manufacturing defect, as well as up to £1,000 in financial assistance for implant rupture caused by manufacturing defects. Cover for capsular contracture extends to ten years for True Texture surface implants and Pure Polyurethane implants placed since May 2017.
It is worth noting that the PSPS covers the product replacement only and does not include surgical fees, anaesthesia, or hospital costs. Patients should also be aware that the programme requires adherence to Silimed’s guidelines and that implants should be registered following surgery — though registration is not mandatory for the warranty to apply.
How Do Silimed Implants Compare to Other Brands?
The premium breast implant market features several well-established brands, each with distinct strengths. Understanding how Silimed fits within this landscape helps patients make a more informed decision.
Many other brands offer either two or three surface options. Silimed’s offer of four distinct surfaces — including polyurethane foam coating with the longest clinical track record and lowest published capsular contracture rates of any surface type available — is a genuine differentiator. The BioDesign range’s biotype-matched sizing approach also represents a genuinely different philosophy to implant selection, one that experienced surgeons find clinically useful for achieving highly tailored results. For patients where capsular contracture risk is a primary concern, or where anatomical fit is particularly complex, Silimed’s range offers options not available from other manufacturers.
Are Silimed Implants Right for You?
Whether Silimed implants are the right choice depends on your anatomy, your aesthetic goals, and any specific risk factors relevant to your individual case. There is no single implant brand that is universally optimal for every patient — the best implant is the one that most closely matches the surgical requirement at hand.
Patients who may particularly benefit from Silimed’s range include those with a higher baseline risk of capsular contracture, those who have experienced capsular contracture with a previous augmentation, patients requiring revision surgery, and those whose chest dimensions are better served by the biotype-matched sizing of the BioDesign range. Silimed’s polyurethane surface implants are also considered by many surgeons to be the most effective option available for minimising the risk of implant rotation in anatomical cases.
As with all implant choices, the decision is best made during a face-to-face consultation where your surgeon can assess your tissue characteristics, chest dimensions, skin quality, and desired outcome in person. You can read more about the general considerations involved in choosing the right breast implant size, round versus teardrop implant shapes, and implant profile and projection in our dedicated guides.
Book a Breast Augmentation Consultation at Centre for Surgery
If you are considering breast augmentation and would like to discuss whether Silimed implants are the right choice for your goals, our GMC-registered specialist surgeons at Centre for Surgery’s Baker Street clinic in London are here to help. Every consultation involves a thorough assessment of your anatomy, an honest discussion of your options, and a fully personalised recommendation — with no pressure and a two-week cooling-off period as standard.
We offer flexible finance options through Chrysalis Finance, including 0% APR, making treatment accessible without financial compromise. Full pricing is available on our breast implant cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Silimed breast implants available in the UK?
Yes. Silimed implants carry the CE Mark for European use and are available in the UK. They are used by plastic surgeons in the UK and across Europe, and are distributed in numerous countries worldwide.
How long have Silimed implants been available?
Silimed was founded in 1978 and has been manufacturing silicone gel implants for over 45 years, making it one of the most experienced implant manufacturers in the world. It is the largest silicone gel implant manufacturer in Latin America and has a significant global presence.
What makes Silimed implants different from other brands?
Silimed is the only breast implant manufacturer in the world to offer four distinct surface options — Pure Polyurethane, True Texture, Soft Plus, and Smooth. This breadth of surface technology, combined with the biotype-matched sizing philosophy of the BioDesign range, sets Silimed apart from competitors and gives surgeons greater flexibility to tailor outcomes to individual patient anatomy.
What is the capsular contracture rate with Silimed implants?
Silimed’s Pure Polyurethane implants have a published capsular contracture rate of just 1% over ten years — among the lowest of any surface type available. True Texture implants report a rate of 9% over ten years. A prospective five-year clinical study of polyurethane implants in 342 patients reported zero cases of capsular contracture over the follow-up period.
Are Silimed implants FDA approved?
Yes. Silimed became the first manufacturer in the world to receive FDA approval for both anatomical and round silicone implants with the True Texture surface in 2012. Their HSC and HSC+ gel implants have also been the subject of long-term FDA core study data demonstrating a favourable safety and rupture profile.
What is the Silimed Product Replacement Programme?
The PSPS is Silimed’s warranty programme, which covers free implant replacement in the event of rupture due to a manufacturing defect — for life — or Baker grade III or IV capsular contracture within ten years of surgery (for True Texture and Pure Polyurethane implants). UK patients also receive up to £1,000 in financial assistance for ruptures caused by manufacturing defects. The programme covers the product only and does not include surgical or hospital fees.
What is the BioDesign Line?
The BioDesign Line is Silimed’s flagship implant range, designed around female biotypes rather than standard volume categories. It offers five distinct profiles and up to four projections per profile, covering round, anatomical, and conical implant shapes. The concept allows surgeons to match the implant’s dimensions to each patient’s individual chest measurements for a more natural and proportionate result.
How do Silimed implants compare to other brands?
Silimed’s key differentiators are its four surface options — particularly its polyurethane coating with the lowest published capsular contracture rates available — and its biotype-matched BioDesign sizing philosophy. Most other premium brands offer two or three surface options. The best implant choice for any individual patient depends on their anatomy and surgical priorities, and should always be discussed with your surgeon at consultation.
How long do Silimed implants last?
Silimed implants are designed for long-term durability and are not considered to have a fixed expiry date. As with all breast implants, they are not guaranteed to last a lifetime and should be monitored regularly. Ten-year clinical data confirms an extremely safe rupture profile. Most surgeons recommend periodic monitoring and would consider assessment or replacement around the ten to fifteen year mark, depending on individual circumstances. Read more in our guide on how long breast implants last.
Can Silimed implants be used for revision surgery?
Yes. Silimed implants are suitable for both primary augmentation and revision cases. Their polyurethane surface is particularly useful in revision surgery where capsular contracture has been a previous complication, due to its exceptionally low contracture rate and strong tissue adhesion properties.
