Can I Get A Skull Implant That Feels Less Hard Than PMMA Material?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I recently got a ‘skull implant’ and they used a material called PMMA. After getting the procedure done i am unhappy with the stiffness of the material. If i lay down and put my fist at the back of my head is leaves an imprint and overall PMMA leaving imprints when i press hard on my skull is something Line Surgery never told me. Is it  possible to remove the bone cement and then add a silicone implant, and is the silicone implant squishy like the bone cement ? i want an implant that isn’t squishy , thanks. 

A: You have an ‘old style’ skull augmentation using PMMA bone cement. One of the known problems in using PMMA, and there are many, is that it is almost impossible to get it smooth or avoid implant edging which can often be sharp. This is probably the source of your symptoms and not the hardness of the material per se since is not much harder than your natural skull bone.

Solid silicone skull implants, in which I have placed over 500 of them, have never had any of the current problems in which you describe.They are solid silicone implant not like gel-filled silicone breast implants.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World Renowned Plastic Surgeon