Occasionally, we get to learn about an aesthetic innovation that makes us go “Wow, that’s pretty cool!” Recently we found ourselves saying that when we stopped by Miami plastic surgeon Daniel Careaga, MD’s office to get a preview of Sientra’s “See Yourself in Sientra” mirror, a new device that gives patients a real time virtual preview of exactly what their breast implants will look like on their own bodies. Here’s what to know about this new mirror the surgeon is calling a “game changer” for breast augmentations.

What It Does

Designed by Sientra and Crisalix, a leader in 3D-simulation, these mirrors give surgeons another tool to help give patients realistic expectations during a consultation. The mirror is a limited-release opportunity, but it works alongside technologies plastic surgeons traditionally use during a consultation like Crisalix.

“It allows the patient to see themselves how they would look like after the surgery with their breast implants,” explains Careaga Plastic Surgery’s patient coordinator Paola Caravallo. “This is an amazing feature so the patient can see their full body standing in front of the mirror. Basically you can play around with the effect and change the implant sizes to go up or down in size, depending, of course, on their liking and what the doctor recommends for them.”

How It Works

The practice has the first-of-its-kind mirror and has been using it with prospective patients who are not sure what type of implant to choose or what size would look best for their bodies. “The patient will be standing in front of the mirror and be able to look at themselves with the implant placed,” explains Caravallo as she shows us an example via an AI model displayed on the device. “We’re now putting 300ccs on virtually and when the patient sees it, it’ll be their own bodies and they can move around, put their hands up, and see what the implants will look like at every angle. It also has other cool features, like a side-by- side before and after you can see on the mirror that moves in real time.”

Who Its For

Right now the mirror is best for patients who want to go up in size. “This is just for adding volume and not for breast reductions or lifts,” says Dr. Careaga.

Decisions, Decisions

When a patient and the surgeon are choosing what is going to be the best implant for them, there really are several decisions that need to be made, explains Dr. Careaga. This is why a mirror like this really helps patients visualize the final outcome in a way like never before. “The first of course, is the material of the implant. So, the options are saline, silicone or the most recent generation will be called the ‘gummy bear’ which is the highly cohesive silicone,” he says. “Then there is the position of shaped versus a round implant. Round implants give more fullness in the upper part of the breast, a shaped anatomic implant will give a more natural slope. Knowing what the size and shape of the end result will look like on the body is always an uncertainty, which is why this is a real game-changer.” 

Dr. Careaga’s practice is running the pilot program for the mirror and he says his patient satisfaction rate has soared. “It’s giving patients the ability to see what those implants are going to look like on themselves. Since it is a large device, it actually is great because it allows them their family members or partners to take part in the process and they really enjoy it.”