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Motiva breast implants aren’t new to the world, but they are new to the U.S., and the first implant to be FDA-approved in 13 years. We’re excited to now offer them in our practice.
Dr. Houssock and Danielle break down what makes Motiva different from the Natrelle implants we’ve always used and address your biggest questions about safety.
Motiva implants come in two styles: Round, which maintains a full, perky look at the top, and Ergonomix, which moves with your body for a softer, teardrop shape.
From their lower risk of capsular contracture to their ability to hold their shape beautifully, hear all the reasons we decided to bring them to our patients.
Natrelle or Motiva? We love both. The right choice depends on your anatomy, preferences, and goals. During your consultation, we’ll walk you through the differences and help you decide what feels best. Picking your perfect implant is a true team effort.
Learn more about breast augmentation
Transcript
Dr. Houssock (00:01):
You are listening to another episode of Perfectly Imperfect. Welcome to the Perfectly Imperfect podcast.
Danielle (00:07):
Yes. Excited to be here.
Dr. Houssock (00:08):
We’re here.
Danielle (00:10):
Exciting. Exciting one.
Dr. Houssock (00:11):
Yeah, I mean, here’s the thing. We know what makes patients excited and I mean really us too. And one of the things that makes us excited is something new.
Danielle (00:21):
Something new. Yeah. Something new. Excited that we’re finding tried and true from other places, not just new and exciting, that doesn’t work.
Dr. Houssock (00:31):
That’s so true. No, totally. I mean, as a society we like new exciting things, but she’s absolutely right. We really get excited when we know something is going to be a game changer, and we’re very particular about that because we don’t love just jumping on bandwagons because so often things can sadly, even in plastic surgery, be fads. And we don’t want fads. We do not want that. We want things that are safe, effective, but also going to give us what we want and also be worth your time and your money and your investment. So what are we talking about today? We are talking about Motiva implants, and it’s kind of wild because up until now for the last decade, there have been multiple companies who have brought implants in and out of the aesthetic realm, but nothing has shaken up the world as much as a Motiva implant. And I am still not exactly sure if the hype is really worth what it is. But we are still very excited about it and so much so that we’ve brought them into our practice. So we absolutely want to talk about them, but I already caution, yes, we’re excited, but let’s just take this cautiously and not get too excited about just a new thing.
Danielle (01:59):
And we’re honest about that in our consults too, when we talk to patients about it right now because they’re seeing a lot of marketing out there. So we’re getting questions too, but our consults, I think you’re so great and we’ll talk through that, but you’re so great during the consult about explaining that part of it. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean that what we’re using is not great too.
Dr. Houssock (02:19):
Exactly. And so that’s the first point is that while we have brought Motiva implants into our practice, they are not the only implants we use. And up until then, up until now, we have only used one company. So it is new for us to bring somebody new in. So that is a big deal. We’ve always used Natrelle implants in our practice. Danielle and I both have experienced with other implants, Sientra, Mentor. My gosh, there’s a ton. And we’ve used them in our past. But as far as our last 10 years plus.
Danielle (02:57):
Yeah, it’s been, I’m trying think even when after that whole FDA approval stuff, it’s been a long time. It’s been a long time.
Dr. Houssock (03:04):
So they’ve been out there, but we’ve always used Natrelle, Allergan implants, which are a silicone based cohesive gel implant, the gummy bear kind of concept, which has generally been around for a while now. That’s not new, but we did decide to bring Motiva in. So let’s talk a little bit about that.
Danielle (03:22):
Okay. What is the main difference you find between Motiva and Natrelle that we use now?
Dr. Houssock (03:30):
So they’re both a silicone gel based implant. They both are cohesive gel. So I guess I could talk about the couple of things that are similar first. So that’s number one. They both come in couple different cohesivities, meaning a little bit stiffer or a little bit softer, and we’ll talk about that. The main difference is in a look and feel and the external shell I would argue. And then also data.
Danielle (04:03):
Yes.
Dr. Houssock (04:03):
So we’ll go through a little bit of that. So let me just pull up and we’ll show these pictures. We’ll B roll these so you guys can see them close up. But what I’m holding right now is a Natrelle implant. It is a smooth round silicone gel implant. It has been tried and true. It’s phenomenal. We both have them.
Danielle (04:25):
Yep. I was going to say. Yep.
Dr. Houssock (04:28):
And we’ve loved them for years. Now in my hand is the Motiva also a round implant, also cohesive gel. However, the big difference physically when you look at it and even when you feel it to start, is that it has not a smooth surface for the external portion of the implant, but it has something called a nano texture that’s really important to talk about because when we start talking texture, people start freaking out.
Danielle (05:01):
Right? Yes, I was just going to say that. Yes, yes.
Dr. Houssock (05:02):
Why do they start freaking out? Well, because unfortunately we have discovered that a macro textured implant, and even here, I don’t think I’m holding a macro texture, but it’s a little bit more textured implant. We found that textured implants have a very rare occurrence of being associated with a lymphoma, A-L-C-L, breast implant associated lymphoma. And so that information came out quite a few years ago and it was just really coming into our knowledge in the 2016, 2017. And so when that happened, I was just starting practice. And so we had chatted about it and we said, well, this sounds a little scary, but it sounds like textured implants might have an association with lymphoma. And so far, and up until this time, they are the only implants that have been associated with that. So
Danielle (05:55):
Still very low, but
Dr. Houssock (05:56):
Yeah, very low. And honestly, in other parts of the world, they’re still being used regularly.
Danielle (05:59):
They talk about it at the meetings a lot.
Dr. Houssock (06:01):
Yes. And so those implants also, the reason why they have a texture is not all of them, some of them were round, but a lot of people used textured implants because if you were using a anatomically shaped implant, this is a tear shape. You can see this here in the photo. And so this tear shape, we want this to stay put. And that texture on these more textured implants allowed them to stay put because you didn’t want ’em to spin, cuz if they spun, they’d look weird. They weren’t circumferentially the same. So we needed that texture. So they were used a lot in anatomic implants. And you even had these at first, right?
Danielle (06:35):
Yeah, I did.
Dr. Houssock (06:36):
And we loved that concept. And when you think about it, it looks very natural. And we’ll go into that in a second because Motiva and even Natrelle have figured out a way to do that without having the actual shape like that. So long story short, macro textured implants for as far as the purposes of the United States, we don’t use them because of that very rare occurrence of lymphoma. So when Motiva came out and they said, we’re nano textured, everybody was like, what?
(07:02):
But however, the texture is so fine that so far none of the studies of any of these ALCL diseases have shown up in nano textured. They are so similar to a smooth that the body seems to not recognize it as an inflammation. And so far, we always say, so far medicine, there has been no association with someone who’s only ever had a smooth implant or a nano textured implant lymphoma.
(07:28):
Back to how they’re different. So that’s one of the things that’s different about that. They talk about a couple other different things that they have. Their gel is different. How they create their shell is different. I think that some of that is just good for us to know for manufacturing purposes, but not a lot, not very important for you as a patient. The other big difference and why we were so intrigued by them is their data. So while they have only been in the United States being studied for about three years and have only been open to the public to even use since the fall of last year or so, we’re coming up on about a year, their data has been studied for quite a while in Europe. And we can’t talk even on this podcast about the European data. But what we can talk about is the three years that they’ve been studied, and generally speaking, they have a lower risk of capsular contracture in their data than other implants, including even the Natrelle implants. And we have to talk about what that really means.
Danielle (08:26):
Capture contracture is the number one side problem with implants in general.
Dr. Houssock (08:31):
Correct. We care about that.
Danielle (08:33):
Yes, we do.
Dr. Houssock (08:34):
And that means the body creates a capsule around, it tightens the implant. It’s not dangerous to you, but it can hurt. It can also look deforming. And so it is a complication that we worry about. It’s a rare complication, but it still occurs. And so when we hear lower risk of that, that’s amazing. So the numbers are low, and so they’re less than one in the three year data. And that’s
Danielle (08:58):
That’s good.
Dr. Houssock (08:59):
Amazing. The Natrelle data is longer in the United States, they’ve been around longer. They’ve been about 10 years. So depending on the implant, they run somewhere in the 1.5%, something like that. They are, it’s still low, still very low in Natrelle, but the data that we have for Motiva is lower. And so it’s one of the real reasons why we are just super excited about it.
Danielle (09:23):
They do feel nice when you hold them too.
Dr. Houssock (09:25):
So that’s like, okay, that’s the scientific, what’s the difference? But what really attracts patients to them is when you come in and you see these and you even feel them, it’s just different. They feel velvety. They feel very soft. They feel very natural. They feel like breast tissue. However,
Danielle (09:49):
I was going to say that was my next question.
Dr. Houssock (09:51):
So I have surgeon hands, my hands are sensitive to everything. I have this thing, and I think a lot of surgeons do. If I close my eyes and I just use hands, I can feel things like it’s my tool. So if you put these underneath a sheet, I can tell the difference. However, patients,
Danielle (10:13):
Patients can’t.
Dr. Houssock (10:14):
Cannot. So I do it all the time. I take in a Natrelle and I take a Motiva and I put them underneath and I put the gown over them, which you all got to have to figure they’re going to be in your body. And so I put it underneath and no one knows.
Danielle (10:28):
No, not really.
Dr. Houssock (10:29):
So don’t get too hyped over like Wow, because how
Danielle (10:33):
They look in person here.
Dr. Houssock (10:34):
Yeah. Because not the point it’s going to be.
Danielle (10:37):
So do you think you can tell a difference in the body?
Dr. Houssock (10:40):
So that’s a great question. So I think one of the more important things about being in the body is the patient anatomy and picking the right implant. I don’t think that you can actually tell the difference between a Motiva implant or another company’s implant unless you picked the wrong implant.
Danielle (11:01):
Right? That’s what I say. Unless you are sized in a weird way.
Dr. Houssock (11:04):
Or you’re just wrong or you’re in the wrong pocket or it’s surgically not done, you might be able to tell. But the one thing I will tell you that I think I notice different with the Motiva implants versus the Natrelle is they do seem to hold their shape better. In general, I would say they are slightly more cohesive, and we’ll go through that in a second, what that means. But it seems like the implant will hold its pocket and hold its shape better. And so that does matter, especially for surgeons like me who do all of their breast augmentations above the muscle. I don’t use the muscle to cover our implant. And because of that, I rely on a good implant to look good.
Danielle (11:40):
And it might be more important for our thinner patients that need that.
Dr. Houssock (11:45):
So because of that, I would say yes, I would argue that probably the Motiva implant does a better job at keeping its shape. And I also think it does seem to ripple less, rippling matters too. We see rippling a lot more even in a saline implant, which we really don’t use much anymore. But I do think that when you put a Motiva implant in, it does seem to hold that shape. So that’s nice too. But again, keep in mind we’re splitting hairs literally because when you’ve got breast tissue, any type of breast tissue, some of this stuff, it sounds amazing and awesome, but doesn’t in the end really matter. I think you’re right. It probably matters more for the patients who are really, really thin.
Danielle (12:28):
Don’t have as much breast tissue to cover.
Dr. Houssock (12:30):
Totally.
Danielle (12:31):
Yeah,
Dr. Houssock (12:31):
Totally.
Danielle (12:32):
I think so too.
Dr. Houssock (12:33):
So that’s that
Danielle (12:36):
Some patients don’t like new, so they’ll come in and they’ll say, well, I’d rather something that you have had tried and true that you know is good. So why is it just now new in the US?
Dr. Houssock (12:48):
Yeah, so that’s great. And I don’t blame people. I like longer the data the better. And we have over 10 years of data for Natrelle. And again, I talked about that capsular contracture rate being a little bit better in the Motiva, but remember, we only have three years of data versus 10 years for the Natrelle. And yes, Europe has some data, but again, I can’t mention it because we can’t talk. It’s just the FDA. It is how it works. And so the FDA is the answer for this. And so yes, it’s been using Europe for a long time. And same thing with fillers. We have tons of fillers that are being used in other countries that are amazing that we cannot use, cuz not FDA approved.
Danielle (13:23):
Or we end up getting them really 10 years after they’ve been used everywhere else.
Dr. Houssock (13:27):
Correct. So that’s why they’re coming here, but they’re not new to the world. Motiva implants are not new to the world, but they are new to the United States. So there’s that. Whenever a patient comes in and they say, why should I pick? Then you have the other patient population says, well, it’s new. It’s new and exciting and whatever. And they are also more expensive, at least right now.
Danielle (13:48):
And we’ve had patients choose it because of that.
Dr. Houssock (13:50):
You think more expensive means better quality. That’s just again, not true. And this is not a podcast to down Motiva.
Danielle (13:57):
No, at all.
Dr. Houssock (13:58):
We love it,
Danielle (13:58):
But we wouldn’t offer it otherwise. Right?
Dr. Houssock (14:00):
Of course. But if I thought it was better, I would stop offering another product. And so if I’m not doing that, I don’t necessarily think it’s better. I think it’s like Coke and Pepsi in some ways. And so you have to be so careful they have their different properties. But we use both and we like both. And honestly, if in a consultation, if we think you are better for one or the other, we will tell you we will. It’s not so common for me to do that because I don’t really feel like there’s a whole lot of patients who should be one or the other. But there are a few right now that I do think are better for Motiva.
Danielle (14:34):
Yeah, I would say it’s normally nice not to have a choice because it’s easier otherwise, but it’s good to still good to have some options.
Dr. Houssock (14:40):
We try not to overwhelm you with your own choices. We try to guide you and say, we’ll make the choices that we think we know better for you. But there are things we will always make you choose. One is going to be the company of your implant, the other is going to be your size, but we’ll help you and guide you on that. And then there’s another thing we have to talk about. And that’s the two different, how do I call it? Let’s just call it two different styles. So let me grab, yeah, they’re more, so they are not the only company to do this either, but Motiva has two different general styles of implant. That’s what I’m going to call it. Make it as simple as possible. One style will, when you are sitting up and kind of holding, you’re using gravity, will hold a little bit more upper pole fullness in the implant and give you some volume up top.
(15:36):
When they’re laying down, it’s not that different. So they’re pretty similar. But when you are sitting up, one will hold that roundness at the top a little bit more, and one does a natural teardrop where it kind of drops naturally how your breast would drop. And so you can argue the ergo version moves with your body. The round is a little bit more cohesive or kind of a little more full. And so because of that, when I turn it to the side, it still stays round up top more than the other. And that is an absolute personal preference.
Danielle (16:15):
And then the other company offers, Natrelle offers that as well in a similar way.
Dr. Houssock (16:19):
Exactly. So in Natrelle we’ve got round like it’s called soft touch, and it holds it’s same thing. And then the responsive is like the ergonomic, and it does the same thing. So again, not new to us, but really cool for patients because
Danielle (16:37):
Yeah, it is.
Dr. Houssock (16:37):
Everybody’s different.
Danielle (16:38):
Everyone’s different. Everyone’s different. And we’ve had a consult recently whose surgery is coming up and we thought for sure she was going to pick the round. Nope. She wanted the ergonomic, she wanted it to drop. So everyone’s different with what they want.
Dr. Houssock (16:52):
I do think that, so when we talked about what will look different, I do think that it looks different. I think that you can tell.
Danielle (17:00):
Yes, I do think in the right. I agree. I think you could tell in the right patient.
Dr. Houssock (17:04):
Yes. So some people really need that upper pole because that’s where a lot of their volume has have been lost or they’ve dropped a little bit in their breast. And so they want that upper pole to give them some shape up there. And again, it’s not like the ergonomic won’t, but you have to just remember when you’re laying down pretty much similar. It’s the whole when it drops down into the implant and doesn’t keep it here as much, which is a natural look. So some patient, they both still are going to look natural because I’m always careful about that. But if you are really looking to go natural, natural, you’re going to want to go more with the ergonomic versus the round.
(17:38):
And then there is, we could talk all day about, there’s like 300 different implants. So you have a range of very small to very large, no matter what implant you choose. And so Motiva does that too. I mean you could have the tiniest little implant or the biggest implant they make. We help guide you with that based on what you’re looking for. We have you come in and play around with sizers, we have you show us photos of patients or people that you like or the breast you’re looking for. There’s so many different ways to do that. And we do really make you a huge part of that. We don’t choose for you, but we guide you because sometimes people think that they want to be something and then when they start sizing, they’re really a lot different than they think. And natural can be big. I have to always say that people, I want to be natural. My job is to make you look natural. Your job is to pick the size you want. Size can be small naturally or large, naturally.
Danielle (18:30):
As long as it fits on their frame.
Dr. Houssock (18:31):
Fitting on the frame is my job. And so Danielle and I will measure, we measure out what is called your breast footprint. We determine what that is. And then based on the volume you choose, we determine what is the best implant for you. And what do we mean by that? There are different projections. Projection is alright, you take an implant, you take a volume, let’s just blah whatever, 300 ccs. That 300 ccs can go in an implant that has a wider base, so it’s wider this direction, but then flatter on the bottom around up and down. Or it can be a smaller diameter and more projection. And it’s pulling this way. Some patients think that they have to, if they’re trying to be natural, they have to go moderate because it’s going to look most natural. That’s not necessarily the case because I had a patient come from LA once, I had to fix her. She wanted natural, went moderate. Her little frame was maybe her breast footprint was this size and her implant was wide, too wide, falling off her chest, looked totally fake. So I actually don’t, I don’t want to say allow, but I don’t really encourage patients choosing their projection.
Danielle (19:36):
Projection. Yes.
Dr. Houssock (19:38):
There’s a reason for that because I think that that projection has to do with your anatomy, and that’s my job. So you pick your volume, then I make sure you pick the right projection that fits in your breast footprint. And that has not steered us wrong.
Danielle (19:49):
No, it has not. Nope.
Dr. Houssock (19:50):
Ever. Nope. So that’s how we do it. Of course, if you come in your, some people will like, I want full profile.
Danielle (19:55):
They think they know what they want.
Dr. Houssock (19:56):
Yeah. Can we just show you what that means?
Danielle (19:58):
Yes, exactly.
Dr. Houssock (19:59):
Because if you still want it, I might have to change your volume. For instance, if you want a certain projection, but the volume that you’re asking for isn’t going to give that, then you might have to go with a bigger implant to give you the projection you’re looking for to fit in your breast footprint. But that’s our job to help you with
Danielle (20:17):
Motiva, it’s called, they’re called mini. It’s mini
Dr. Houssock (20:23):
Demi.
Danielle (20:23):
Demi, and then full.
Dr. Houssock (20:25):
And then full,
Danielle (20:25):
And then the Natrelle. It’s moderate, full, extra full.
Dr. Houssock (20:29):
Correct.
Danielle (20:31):
That’s why it’s good for us to help with that part.
Dr. Houssock (20:33):
Yeah. It’s so much for a patient and it sounds overwhelming even. I bet listening to the podcast sounds overwhelming, but just know this. If you come in for a consult, we are holding your hand the whole time.
Danielle (20:47):
The whole time. Yes. Entire time.
Dr. Houssock (20:49):
We will not steer you wrong. We will help you gain the right result.
Danielle (20:54):
Yes. And once you pick the implant you’re going to use, it’s much easier. Then we can talk about that volume,
Dr. Houssock (21:02):
Yes.
Danielle (21:02):
That projection for that implant. Yeah.
Dr. Houssock (21:04):
So it is so overwhelming. And I have to also say on the opposite side, this is not just a simple surgery. I know that it can be blown off as like you’re just throwing an implant in. But I’m going to tell you right now, just based on hearing this podcast, you can see this is complicated to make it look good. And if someone’s not doing what we’re talking about, you should seek another consult. And I’m not saying I always encourage multiple consults anyway. I love when patients come from other places. It’s one of our favorite things because you should see how other people work. But if someone is like, yeah, I got you. You want to be a C, I got you. Go ahead. Go ahead and sign up.
Danielle (21:39):
You need to be involved in the sizing.
Dr. Houssock (21:42):
A hundred percent. And we don’t talk in cups to a certain extent. If you know you’re a B, first of all, people come in and think that they’re a certain cup and they’re not
Danielle (21:51):
Had it yesterday.
Dr. Houssock (21:52):
Yep. Yep. I mean, and how do we know we have an experience. We know what cup sizes look like. Jokes aside, my hand palm is about a C. So I know that. And obviously it’s an average because different Cs are different based on the body type. But my hand is about a C. So I know when patients come in and I do my exam, that where you are and
Danielle (22:15):
Most are bigger than they think they are.
Dr. Houssock (22:18):
Correct. That’s the big thing. People think they’re so small and they oftentimes are a C already. Someone will come in and say, I want to be a full C. That was so popular. I want to be a full C. And then I’m like, well, you are a C. So just so you know. And to take that one step more, we can easily find out what you are. Because the way to determine your cup size, you could do this right now at home, you take a measuring tape, you take the measurement underneath the breast, right at the breast crease around your body. So at the inframammary fold, then you take another measurement and you place it right at the peak of your breast. For most people, that’s the nipple, but not necessarily wherever the peak of the breast is and wrap it around. And the inch difference that you have is your cup size. So if you are a 30 underneath and you are a 32 breast, you are a B, B two inches. If you are a 30 underneath and you’re a 36, well now you’re an A, B, C, D, double D, triple D or an F, depending on the bra you’re looking at. Very easy way to figure out what cup size you actually are. I’ll never promise you, you’re going to go from this to this. There’s just too many working parts. If you’re like, I’m a B, I want to be a C. But it is a great way to communicate. Awesome way to communicate. We know, all right, if you want to be a C, you want to be a little bigger.
Danielle (23:32):
Yes. You don’t want to walk in the room and just have
Dr. Houssock (23:36):
Be boobs. Correct. But if you are like, I want to be a double D, I’m like, all right, we know where we’re going now. And then if you pick something that’s so off that we’re like, alright, we just said, they’re like, let’s talk this down because you wanted to be a double D, but you’re only doing this size implant, that’s not going to get you there. Or vice versa. It usually happens more the other way around.
Danielle (23:54):
The other way around. Yeah. It’s usually the other way around. I want to be a small C. And then they pick a size that’s probably more of a full D.
Dr. Houssock (24:01):
Yeah. Yeah. And that happens. But we tell you that. And there’s nothing wrong with that. You just don’t know. You’d be shocked to know what people are. It is just the way it is. I’m a double D. I would’ve never thought that, but I am. And so when you measure, that’s where I land.
Danielle (24:18):
Next question with the Motiva, do you think that they’re going to change anything with the whole industry of plastic surgery here?
Dr. Houssock (24:24):
Yeah. So I think they’re shaking things up. And the reason why I think they are is they seem to be innovating like crazy. And maybe other companies are too, but they’re not so verbal about it. I think some companies got comfortable and they just sat around. And now I love innovation.
Danielle (24:44):
Of course
Dr. Houssock (24:44):
We all do. We like competition because competition makes anybody better. So I do. They already have their second generation of their implants in Europe. We don’t have them. We can’t have them. They’re speaking to our rep. They think it’s going to be a couple of years before we can have them because of the FDA. So they’re already on their second round. In addition to that, they’ve got some really cool things they’re doing with these new implants. One of the concepts is something called a preserve procedure. So we don’t do this in the states, we can’t have any of this stuff. But just to give you an idea as to why I think that the company’s exciting. They are creating a instrument that will allow for a smaller incision. And that instrument actually opens up the pocket just to fit the exact implant size that you want. And it’s got to be smaller implants to do this. It’s almost like a minimally invasive breast augmentation, which before this had to be saline. If you go back to
Danielle (25:45):
The real tiny, tiny incisions,
Dr. Houssock (25:47):
Yes. Old school, DR 9 0 2 1 0, Dr. Rey. He used to do,
Danielle (25:50):
Remember Dr. Rey? Was that belly button? Or armpit?
Dr. Houssock (25:52):
Umbilical. He would do an umbilical incision and he would thread an implant. God, this is like the nineties.
Danielle (25:59):
Yes, that’s been a long time.
Dr. Houssock (26:01):
And they would put a saline implant, they’d fold it up and put it in and they’d blow it up and they’d put the saline in. So since then, and then I would say also sub axillary or axillary could be considered that too. We didn’t have a good way to make it even smaller. And so this instrument makes it where it can be like two centimeters. Even now,
Danielle (26:21):
I would say your incision’s pretty small.
Dr. Houssock (26:23):
Three or four centimeters
Danielle (26:25):
We use a funnel.
Dr. Houssock (26:26):
So I would say we’re already doing this in the states to a certain extent, but I would, they’re shaking it up a little bit. They’re making it even easier to go smaller with your incision. And why do we like that? Because incisions are healing and a way for you to get bacteria into your implant. We want your wound small, small, small and closed as fast as possible. That is the part we don’t need the most, right? We don’t need, but we need to see in there. We need to make a good pocket. So this Preserve concept is really cool because they’re allowing for that concept.
Danielle (27:00):
The marketing’s beautiful.
Dr. Houssock (27:03):
So
Danielle (27:03):
Yes,
Dr. Houssock (27:04):
It’s so cool. That’s one example of just things they’re doing that we’ll see eventually.
Danielle (27:13):
When we go to the meetings. I mean, Motiva’s really kind of everywhere.
Dr. Houssock (27:18):
But again, we all get excited and we jump up and down about new. But while we love it, while we’re very excited about what they’re doing and they’re innovating, we still to this day use our Natrelle implants as well. And we allow patients to decide. And until I consider one to be truly superior, I will continue to do that.
Danielle (27:38):
And that’s going to take a while. I would say.
Dr. Houssock (27:40):
If it ever happens.
Danielle (27:41):
If it ever happens,
Dr. Houssock (27:41):
I don’t know that it will ever happen. But we always like to offer you and some patients, it’s just brand preference. So we do that with our neurotoxins as well. We have tried all of the neurotoxins. We to this day still keep Botox and Dysport in the practice. We have used all the others. We’ve used Daxxify. We’ve used Jeuveau, Xeomin. But right now for us, the ones that are the best for our patients continue to be Botox and Dysport. So we offer them both. That’s the same for implants.
Danielle (28:14):
Yeah, I agree.
Dr. Houssock (28:16):
Until they show something different, I really don’t think that there’ll be a reason for us to exclusively have one or the other. I will say some people, and this sounds, it’s not supposed to sound bad. Ultimately practices are also businesses. And so I could imagine somebody choosing one implant to just have, as long as they’re honest about it, not because they think it’s the best, they might love it enough that they’re willing to do it only, which is fine. But also the more you use implants, oftentimes the implant companies will give you better pricing for your patients.
Danielle (28:51):
That’s true.
Dr. Houssock (28:52):
So it’s like a bulk thing. So that’s just the truth. And we probably don’t talk about that part that often with patients, but we get a wholesale price of this stuff for you. And so even with Botox, it’s that way.
Danielle (29:04):
Sure. And in transparency, we don’t make more money depending on what implant you choose. We made it so that yes, the implants are more expensive because they’re more expensive for us.
Dr. Houssock (29:14):
So
Danielle (29:17):
It doesn’t benefit us for you to choose one or the other.
Dr. Houssock (29:19):
No, it’s the same for us. So it’s not like we’re going to push one or the other, but I could see why someone would consider using only, we did for years, use only one company because the more you use, probably the better pricing you might get. But I would say it’s probably pretty nominal in this grand scheme of what you’re paying to have a breast augmentation, I wouldn’t focus on pricing personally. What are the difference in our practice?
Danielle (29:44):
It’s not that different. It’s $550.
Dr. Houssock (29:46):
So there you go. And what is an average breast augmentation cost in our practice.
Danielle (29:50):
Around 9,000.
Dr. Houssock (29:51):
So if you’re spending $9,000 and you’re going back and forth about $500, I would say I would try to wait and invest, if you really think you want to do the Motiva’s. But you are not doing a subpar breast augmentation if you opt for a Natrelle implant in any way. Because also you can’t get Motiva’s everywhere. Not everyone’s carrying them right now. That doesn’t make us special, the ones who are, I don’t think we’ve just chosen to because we’ve looked at them. We love them, we’re excited about them, but ultimately it’s a brand and we chose it.
Danielle (30:23):
There are cheaper companies out there that we’ve decided not to use.
Dr. Houssock (30:25):
Correct, correct. And some are for reasons that we think are subpar, but some are just, we prefer these. I don’t want to talk too badly about other implants because sometimes it is just surgeon’s preference. And I think I want to end this podcast with the most important part of this entire thing. While an implant matters, the most important part of this entire process is the surgeon. Period. A board certified plastic surgeon or someone who has at least done training in plastic surgery. They might be new to their practice and haven’t done their board yet. I’ve talked about that in other podcasts where we’re really big on board certification and we do believe in it because it’s a very good check to make sure someone’s safe and effective.
(31:11):
But that being said, the early stages of plastic surgery training, there are young surgeons who are very good, who have done plastic surgery training, who don’t have their board yet, because we don’t get our board until we’re in practice for a few years. So those of us who have been out here and taken our boards and we have experienced, sure. But there are surgeons out there who are new but great and had the training. So I think probably more than anything else, going to a surgeon who has a plastic surgery residency is the most important part. And board certification, obviously is an amazing icing on the cake. If someone’s years and years and years out of practice and they don’t have their board certification, you might want to ask why.
Danielle (31:49):
Ask why? Yes.
Dr. Houssock (31:50):
Because it does take a couple of years to get, but that to me is more important.
Danielle (31:54):
Finding the surgeon that matches your aesthetic. And
Dr. Houssock (31:56):
That too, we are not all created equal. It’s much like tattoos. We are artists, and so we may see things differently. And so look at before and afters of that surgeon. Make sure you like what they do.
Danielle (32:08):
Exactly.
Dr. Houssock (32:09):
That’s important. And it doesn’t hurt my feelings if you feel like I’m not for you. It never does. Because what will happen is we will be on the other side and you unhappy. And that makes me unhappy.
Danielle (32:19):
Yes.
Dr. Houssock (32:20):
So while we love operating.
Danielle (32:21):
Of course, yes. Favorite thing.
Dr. Houssock (32:24):
We love patience. We want you to, and Danielle says this the best, we’re also interviewing you. I know that sounds wild, but talk about that part of it a little bit.
Danielle (32:32):
I’ll tell patients that too, if they ask about, I’ll have patients ask, should I go to other consults? I’m like, of course. I would say if a patient asks questions that seem like, we’ve been doing this long enough just to say that, if something just seems off or if they’re asking for something that really we can’t provide, I’ll tell them, I’ll say, this is back and forth. We’re interviewing you to make sure you’re going to be a good patient for us and a good match for us too. So it goes both ways.
Dr. Houssock (33:01):
Yes.
Danielle (33:02):
We don’t want to take on somebody that we can’t make happy. So
Dr. Houssock (33:05):
Absolutely. It goes both ways. We’re in this together. Once we commit to each other. I mean, once the skin hits the knife, baby, you and me are in this together. And that has to be, do
Danielle (33:17):
Not take that lightly at all.
Dr. Houssock (33:18):
Yeah. We want success as much as you do. I mean, we’re not going anywhere. We say, we’re not traveling salesman.
Danielle (33:26):
No.
Dr. Houssock (33:26):
We’re going to be here in this beautiful office when you are done and healed.
Danielle (33:30):
Yes, absolutely.
Dr. Houssock (33:30):
And we want to make sure you’re happy. And that is why we push so hard with consultation. We’re in there for an hour and a half.
Danielle (33:37):
Oh yeah. We scheduled these for a long time. So
Dr. Houssock (33:39):
Believe it or not.
Danielle (33:39):
We did not rush that.
Dr. Houssock (33:40):
This consult,
Danielle (33:41):
That’s not even sizing.
Dr. Houssock (33:42):
No,
Danielle (33:42):
That’s not even talking size
Dr. Houssock (33:43):
Sizing is completely separate. And Danielle does that with you separately and goes through all that with a separate consultation. But you would think a huge tummy tuck would be the longest consult. And while we do spend time, we are in there for over an hour. Breast Augmentation is,
Danielle (33:58):
It’s the longest consult.
Dr. Houssock (33:59):
The longest consult,
Danielle (34:00):
Yeah. Yep. It is.
Dr. Houssock (34:01):
And it should be. It should not be in and out. There’s too much information that we have to gather from you to figure out what you want. And also you have to learn about, so you know what you’re getting yourself into.
Danielle (34:11):
Exactly. Yeah.
Dr. Houssock (34:12):
So anyway, Motiva.
Danielle (34:13):
We’re excited.
Dr. Houssock (34:16):
Yeah, we’re very excited about it. We have really loved the results of them. Patients have loved the results. And we’ll obviously stay tuned.
Danielle (34:25):
I was going to say maybe we’ll do an update in a year or so just to see if anything’s different.
Dr. Houssock (34:30):
Talk about what’s happening.
Danielle (34:31):
Cuz we’ve just been doing these for a little bit. Yeah.
Dr. Houssock (34:33):
So alright, carry on, Danielle.
Danielle (34:34):
Carry on.
Dr. Houssock (34:37):
Perfectly Imperfect is the authentically human podcast navigating the realities of aesthetic medicine. Got a question for us? Leave us a voicemail at perfectlyimperfectpodcast.com. JEV Plastic Surgery is located in Owings Mills, Maryland. To learn more about us, go to JEVplasticsurgery.com or follow us on Instagram @DrCareHoussock, spelled D-R-C-A-R-E-H-O-U-S-S-O-C-K, or just look in the show notes for links. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it and subscribe to Perfectly Imperfect on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’d like to listen to podcasts.