GuidesBreast
Motiva vs Mentor breast implants: how they differ
Motiva vs Mentor comes down to the models. Motiva’s US-approved implants are the SmoothSilk Round and Round Ergonomix, while Mentor makes round MemoryGel implants with smooth or textured shells and the shaped MemoryShape. Urban Plastic Surgery, our partner clinic in Seoul, offers both with the same surgery time and recovery.
How do Motiva and Mentor implants differ?
Both brands make silicone gel breast implants: a silicone shell filled with silicone gel. They differ in the surfaces, shapes and gel they offer, in when the US FDA approved them, and in how each maker runs its warranty. No row in the table below makes one brand right for everyone, and the usual implant risks apply to both.
This guide compares the two brands only. Size, placement over or under the muscle and the incision are covered in choosing breast implants, and the operation itself is on the breast augmentation page.
| Feature | Motiva | Mentor |
|---|---|---|
| Models approved by the US FDA | SmoothSilk Round and Round Ergonomix (2024) | MemoryGel (2006) and MemoryShape (2013) |
| Surface | SmoothSilk | Smooth or textured MemoryGel; MemoryShape is textured |
| Shape | Round; Ergonomix is described by its maker as changing shape with your position | MemoryGel is round; MemoryShape is shaped (teardrop) |
| Gel, as the partner clinic describes it | Highly viscoelastic gel that moves as you change position | Cohesive gel that holds together, with the amount set for each size; MemoryGel Xtra has a higher fill ratio |
| Shell, as the partner clinic describes it | BlueSeal layer with blue-colored areas so tears or cracks can be seen | Durable outer shell around the gel core, in a smooth or textured type |
| Warranty | Maker’s own program; terms differ by country | Maker’s own program; terms differ by country |
| Surgery at the partner clinic | Up to 2 to 3 hours, general anesthesia | Up to 2 to 3 hours, general anesthesia |
What is the difference in surface and gel?
Motiva’s approved models carry its SmoothSilk surface, which the partner clinic describes as uniform and soft. Mentor offers MemoryGel with a smooth or a textured shell. On its Mentor page, the clinic says a textured implant moves very little in its pocket and needs no massage after surgery, while a smooth implant moves more naturally with the breast.
Surface also matters for one rare cancer of the immune system, BIA-ALCL (breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma). According to the FDA, textured implants account for most reported cases, but smooth implants have been involved too. Whichever brand you choose, ask which surface your proposed model has.
Gel is where the clinic’s descriptions differ most. It calls Motiva’s gel highly viscoelastic, so the implant keeps a natural shape as you stand or lie down. It describes Mentor’s gel as cohesive, holding together rather than flowing like a liquid, with the amount of gel set differently for each implant size. MemoryGel Xtra holds more gel for its size, for a fuller look without a wider implant. These are the clinic’s and makers’ descriptions, not measured results, and how an implant feels on you also depends on your tissue and placement.
Which implant shapes does each brand make?
Motiva’s two US-approved models are both called round. The maker describes Round Ergonomix as keeping a round shape when you lie down and taking a teardrop shape when you stand. Mentor’s MemoryGel implants are round, and MemoryShape is a shaped (contoured) implant with a textured surface.
The FDA notes that MemoryShape gel has more cross-linking than the gel in Mentor’s earlier gel-filled implant, which makes it firmer. Because a shaped implant has a top and a bottom, ask how the surgeon keeps it in position if you are offered one. Ask too which shapes and models the partner clinic stocks, because a model being approved does not mean every clinic offers it.
Are Motiva and Mentor implants FDA approved?
Yes, for specific models, and Mentor’s approvals are older. Mentor MemoryGel gained US FDA approval in November 2006, covering augmentation from age 22 as well as reconstruction, and MemoryShape followed in June 2013. Motiva came later: in September 2024 the FDA approved its SmoothSilk Round and Round Ergonomix implants, for augmentation from age 22.
Approval in one country covers named models, not a whole brand, and each approval came with long-term follow-up studies that the FDA required. If the model you are offered is not one of these, ask the clinic which approvals it holds. In Korea, ask for the model’s approval details from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) as well.
How do the Motiva and Mentor warranties compare?
Each maker runs its own warranty program for its implants, covering rupture and, on some plans, capsular contracture. Both have changed their programs over the years, the terms differ from one country to another, and some extended plans have to be registered or bought within a set time after surgery. That is why this guide gives no warranty lengths or amounts.
For an operation in Korea, ask the clinic to show you the warranty that applies to your exact model. These are the points to get in writing:
- Which events are covered (rupture, capsular contracture) and for how long
- Whether the warranty applies to surgery done in Korea and how you would claim from home
- Whether you need to register the implant, and the deadline
- Whether it pays toward surgeon and hospital fees for a revision, or only replaces the implant
- Where the serial or lot numbers of your implants are recorded, because any claim needs them
Does the brand change the surgery or recovery in Seoul?
No. Urban Plastic Surgery, our partner clinic, lists the same figures for Motiva breast implants and Mentor breast implants: up to 2 to 3 hours under general anesthesia, no overnight stay, no stitches to remove, light activity after 3 to 4 days and 3 to 4 follow-up visits. You wear a compression garment for 2 months, as the clinic advises.
A typical trip is 7 to 10 days in Seoul, with a check-up around day 7 or 8 before you fly. The clinic’s published breast cases use Mentor implants. That reflects the cases it has posted so far, not a ranking of the brands.
Do the risks differ between Motiva and Mentor?
The main risks are the same for both brands. The scar capsule that forms around any implant can tighten (capsular contracture) and make the breast firm, painful or misshapen. An implant can rupture, sometimes without symptoms, so FDA advice includes ultrasound or MRI checks over the years. Implants are not lifetime devices: the longer you have them, the more likely you are to need more surgery.
Other risks include bleeding (hematoma), fluid build-up (seroma), infection, changes in nipple or breast sensation and rippling. If one side swells quickly and becomes more painful, especially soon after surgery, contact the clinic straight away; if you cannot reach the clinic, get emergency care. If a treated area blisters, or you see spreading redness, heat or fever, contact the clinic straight away. If you become breathless, have chest pain, or one leg becomes painful and swollen, get emergency care first, then tell the clinic, and do not fly until a doctor says it is safe.
With either brand, some people describe whole-body symptoms, such as fatigue or aching joints, that they put down to their implants, and the FDA lists rare cancers besides BIA-ALCL reported in the capsule. New swelling, a lump or pain in a breast, even many years after surgery, is a reason to see a doctor promptly. The breast augmentation page lists every risk, and if an implant ever needs changing, breast implant revision has its own page.
Does the brand change the price?
It can, but this guide shows no prices, because they differ by clinic and plan. Our consultation is free for you, and you pay only the clinic’s own price for treatment. Your quote can move with the brand and exact model, the size, the anesthesia and anything done at the same time. The surgery quote checklist lists what a written quote should show, and for implants it should name the brand, model, size, surface and warranty.
How do you and your surgeon choose between them?
The partner clinic suggests Motiva for a natural feel and shape, for thin or delicate skin and for a smaller chest frame. It suggests Mentor for fuller volume, a soft feel, uneven breasts or breasts that became smaller after childbirth. These are starting points. The surgeon settles the brand and model with you after examining your chest, skin and breast tissue.
Through our free consultation, a patient coordinator answers first and passes your photos to the partner clinic that fits your plan, where the surgeon reviews them and later examines you in Seoul. The coordinator is not a doctor and does not choose your implant. Questions to bring:
- Which brand and exact model do you suggest for me, and why?
- Which surface does it have, and what follow-up do you advise for that surface?
- Which shapes and sizes of each brand do you stock?
- Which approvals does this model hold, in the United States and in Korea?
- Which warranty applies, and how would I claim from my home country?
More questions
Which feels softer, Motiva or Mentor?
There is no fair one-word answer. The partner clinic describes Motiva gel as highly viscoelastic and Mentor gel as cohesive with a soft feel, and it suggests both brands for people who want a soft, natural feel. How an implant feels on you depends on the model, its size, your tissue and the placement, so ask to hold samples at the consultation.
Does Motiva or Mentor last longer?
Neither brand comes with a fixed lifespan. Implants of any make are not lifetime devices: problems that need more surgery become more likely as the years pass. Plan on scans for silent rupture in your home country, and keep your implant record so a future surgeon can see exactly what you have.
Can I switch from Mentor to Motiva, or the other way, at a revision?
You can ask for either brand. A revision is planned as its own operation, and the surgeon suggests the new implant after examining you and the capsule around the old one. Bring your implant record, with the brand, model, size and serial number, so the surgeon knows exactly what is in place now.
Do textured Mentor implants carry more BIA-ALCL risk than Motiva?
The FDA links most BIA-ALCL cases to textured implants, with some cases in smooth ones, and the rates are not well defined. Motiva’s approved models use its SmoothSilk surface, and Mentor offers smooth and textured shells. This does not show that one brand is safer than the other. Ask which surface your proposed model has and what the surgeon advises for it.
Procedures in this article
Read next
Sources
- FDA Roundup: September 27, 2024. US Food and Drug Administration
- Mentor MemoryGel (Premarket application number: P030053) (Approved November 2006). US Food and Drug Administration
- Mentor MemoryShape Silicone-Filled Breast Implants (Premarket application number P060028) (Approved June 2013). US Food and Drug Administration
- Questions and Answers about Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). US Food and Drug Administration
- Risks and Complications of Breast Implants. US Food and Drug Administration
- Establishment Labs Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Motiva Implants. Establishment Labs (Motiva), via Business Wire
- Warranty Information. Motiva (Establishment Labs)
- Standing Proudly Behind. Mentor