Is Gore-Tex A Good Facial Implant Material?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I know that there are silicone and Medpor facial implants for the tear trough areas. But I have also read about the use of Gore-tex material as well. I don’t know if there are specific tear trough implants for Gore-tex though. My question is how easy are they to remove if the need arises sometime later in the future? Is it like Medpor  in that it can be difficult to remove later in life? Thank you

A: Gore-tex is one of the available facial implant materials although it does not have many preformed shapes available. There are no specific Gore-tex tear trough implants. It is a material that largely comes in sheets and blocks that can be cut and carved into almost any shape. It is also a softer and more spongy material. While these material properties are disadvantages for many typical facial implant locations, I do not consider it so for the tear trough area. In fact, it is my preferred material for this area and the orbital rim and floor…exactly because it can be custom carved and adapted along the infraorbital rim and is soft. It is a smooth slippery surface material so it must be screed into place to keep it from being displaced. Because it offers a smooth surface, it is also as easy to remove as silicone and quite unlike Medpor in that regard.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana