Motiva Breast Augmentation in NYC

Yes. Motiva SmoothSilk® Round and SmoothSilk® Ergonomix® silicone gel-filled breast implants received U.S. FDA Premarket Approval (PMA P230005) on September 26, 2024. They are indicated for breast augmentation in women aged 22 years and older, including primary augmentation and revision-augmentation. This was the first new breast implant PMA issued by the FDA since 2013.

Motiva implants are not lifetime devices, but they are engineered for durability. Every Motiva implant carries the Always Confident Warranty®, which covers rupture for the lifetime of the device, plus a 10-year Product Replacement Policy for capsular contracture (Baker grades III and IV). Many patients keep their implants for 15 years or more. The FDA recommends periodic MRI or ultrasound surveillance to detect silent rupture.

Preservé is a tissue-preservation breast augmentation technique designed in collaboration with Motiva. Instead of dividing the pectoralis major muscle, Preservé uses a Channel Separator and inflatable balloon to atraumatically create a pocket while conserving Cooper’s ligaments, nipple-areolar sensory pathways, and chest-wall musculature. It is paired with Motiva Ergonomix implants, which compress through a small inframammary incision. Dr. Darren Smith authored a textbook chapter on the Preservé technique with Motiva.

Motiva Ergonomix is filled with the softer ProgressiveGel Ultima®. It looks round when the patient is supine and assumes a natural teardrop shape when upright. Motiva Round is filled with the firmer ProgressiveGel PLUS® and produces more upper-pole projection and a fuller, more sculpted look in both positions. The choice depends on anatomy, soft-tissue coverage, and aesthetic preference.

In the FDA IDE 3-year clinical study, Motiva demonstrated a 0.5% capsular contracture rate, a 0.6% rupture rate, and zero reported cases of BIA-ALCL or BIA-SCC in the augmentation cohorts. These figures are favorable relative to historical data on legacy silicone devices. However, all FDA-approved breast implants meet rigorous safety standards, and individual outcomes depend on surgical technique, patient anatomy, and adherence to imaging surveillance.

No cases of BIA-ALCL or BIA-SCC were reported in the Motiva U.S. FDA IDE primary or revision augmentation cohorts at three-year follow-up. BIA-ALCL has historically been associated with macrotextured implants — most prominently the Allergan Biocell line, withdrawn from the market in 2019. Motiva’s SmoothSilk® nanotextured surface is engineered to avoid the high-roughness profile linked to BIA-ALCL, but long-term U.S. surveillance is ongoing.

Q Inside® Safety Technology, also known as Qid®, is a passive RFID micro-transponder embedded in Motiva implants. Cleared by the FDA in 2004 for use in humans, the chip stores a unique 15-digit electronic serial number that links to manufacturing information, size, projection, and lot. A handheld reader scans the chip externally — no imaging or surgery required. The transponder is battery-free and MR-conditional.

Yes. Motiva implants are visible on mammography, ultrasound, and MRI. The Q Inside RFID chip creates a small artifact on MRI that can obscure a limited area of the chest wall directly behind the implant. For surveillance, dual-mode imaging (artifact-reduction MRI plus ultrasound) is recommended in reconstruction patients. The chip does not interfere with diagnostic accuracy in standard breast cancer screening.

Dr. Smith’s practice is cash-pay and provides individualized quotes after in-person consultation. Total cost reflects surgeon credentials, facility and anesthesia fees, the Motiva implants themselves (which include the lifetime rupture warranty and 10-year capsular contracture replacement policy), and any combined procedures. The practice does not publish flat fees because every plan is customized.

Selection of a Motiva surgeon should be based on board certification, fellowship training, academic contributions, society leadership, and direct experience with the Motiva system and the Preservé technique. Dr. Darren Smith is dual fellowship-trained (craniofacial at Sick Kids Toronto; aesthetic at MEETH), has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, currently serves as President of the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons, and authored a textbook chapter on Preservé breast augmentation with Motiva implants.

Yes. Revision-augmentation — including explant of prior devices, capsulectomy when indicated, and exchange to Motiva — is covered under the September 2024 FDA PMA. Dr. Smith performs revision breast surgery and discusses capsulectomy strategy, pocket conversion, and implant selection at consultation.

Both placement planes are options. The Preservé technique with Motiva Ergonomix is typically performed in the subglandular or subfascial (over-the-muscle) plane, which preserves the pectoralis and eliminates animation deformity. Submuscular (dual-plane) placement remains appropriate for patients with very thin soft-tissue coverage. Dr. Smith determines the optimal plane based on anatomy and aesthetic goals.

Most patients return to desk work in 5–7 days. Light cardiovascular activity resumes at approximately 3 weeks. Chest- and upper-body resistance training resumes at 6 weeks. Preservé patients often experience a faster functional recovery because the pectoralis is not divided. Final shape settles over 3–6 months.

Dr. Darren M. Smith, MD, FACS, practices at 111 East 57th Street in The Ritz Tower, Manhattan, NY 10022 — between Park and Lexington Avenues, near the Fuller Building and the southeast corner of Central Park.

Consultations can be scheduled directly through the practice contact form or by calling the office at (212) 633-0627. Dr. Smith personally conducts every consultation. Out-of-town patients are accommodated with virtual pre-consultations followed by in-person evaluation prior to surgical scheduling.