Breast Implants with the Pocket Protector Plastic Surgeon Dr. Mark Berman Revolutionizes Breast Implants with the Pocket Protector, a Device that Maximizes Results and Reduces Risk.

The Most Important Advance Since Silicone.

Los Angeles, CA - (HealthNewsDigest.com). A generation of women whose conventional implants have left their breasts distorted, hard, scarred or lumpy can rejoice and find new hope with the Pocket Protector, a patented breast implant device designed by veteran Santa Monica based Plastic Surgeon Dr. Mark Berman. Calling it the - biggest advance in breast surgery since silicone. Berman hopes to revolutionize the field by making implants work better and with a much higher degree of safety for the patient.

People in the medical world and women who have either had or are contemplating breast implants are thrilled with what this device can do. Says Dr. Berman, who began using the Pocket Protector upon first patenting it three years ago. Its basically a protective liner for the implant device, a protective coating for the breast.

Constructed from expanded polytetraflutoroethylene (e-PTFE, the same material as Gore-Tex), rather than the usual saline or silicone gel, the Pocket Protectors unique properties allow it to integrate with the body by tissue in-growth without capsule (scar tissue) formation. The Pocket Protector material is fashioned into a bladder that lines the inside of the breast (the breast pocket where the implant will be placed), adhering to the body, preventing the pocket from closing on itself, thus keeping the pocket open. The Pocket Protector, is .35mm thick and has a micro porosity of 40 microns. This allows the body to grow into pores without forming a fibrous scar around the material. The material is permanent and does not degrade within the body. It can be removed if necessary.

With the Pocket Protector in place, a smooth silicone gel (or saline) implant placed within it should stay soft, free from rippling, and in the advent of rupture, remains confined within its space. It is particularly designed for patients seeking to augment their breast naturally, to a size significantly less than the potential space of the pocket. It is most useful for women with thin breast tissue that tends to experience rippling with traditional operations. Such patients tend to be older or have had children, or occasionally, younger patients that have sustained significant weight reduction, particularly in their breasts.

Although the actual use of the Pocket Protector as a breast implant device is still awaiting FDA approval, the FDA has approved the e-PTFE material used to make it. Impra, a subsidiary of C.R. Bard, Inc., exclusively manufactures the material for Surgiform, Inc. The product is made under strict guidelines of quality control. Surgiform and Dr. Berman complete the final assembly of the product, creating the Pocket Protector and preparing it for implantation in the P3 (Pocket Protector Placer).

Dr. Bermans use of the material dates back to 1983, when he was doing his residency at Loma Linda University/White Memorial Medical Center and also serving as a consultant for Gore-Tex. He performed the worlds first cosmetic facial implantation with an e-PTFE material (though the FDA didnt officially approve its use until 1994).

While The Pocket Protector (as of 2003) is considered a relatively new device, the material has actually been used by Dr. Berman in dozens of womens breasts dating back to 1986 without any adverse reactions. The first prototype Pocket Protector, placed in April 1995, still remains completely functional. The e-PTFE materials in human use have been subjected to hundreds of clinical and laboratory research evaluations.

A Philly native, Dr. Berman, did his undergraduate work at UCLA, graduated from Chicago Medical School and did his residency at White Memorial Hospital, affiliated with Loma Linda University. Hes currently the President of the American Society of Cosmetic Breast Surgery and on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Berman has been in private practice in cosmetic surgery and facial plastic and re-constructive surgery for over 20 years.

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