By Dr. Olivia MaDan, MD | Board-Certified Female Plastic Surgeon, Nashville, TN | BEYOND Collective
If you are researching breast augmentation in Nashville, you have almost certainly come across three names: Motiva, Natrelle, and Mentor. All three are excellent implant brands, all three are used by board-certified plastic surgeons, and all three can produce beautiful, long-lasting results. So how do you choose?
The honest answer is that it depends. The “best” breast implant is the one that best matches your anatomy, your aesthetic goals, your lifestyle, and your surgeon’s technique. At BEYOND Collective, I offer all three brands because no single implant is the right choice for every patient, and I believe empowered, informed patients make better decisions.
In this post, I am breaking down each brand, what makes it distinctive, who tends to be the ideal candidate, and how I think about the decision in my Nashville practice. My goal is not to tell you what to choose, but to give you the information you need to walk into your consultation ready to have a real conversation.
The best breast implant is the one that matches your anatomy, your goals, your lifestyle, and your surgeon’s technique, not just a brand name.
Quick Comparison at a Glance
Here is a high-level overview of how the three brands compare across the factors I consider most clinically relevant:
Motiva®
- Generation: 6th generation
- Gel Type: ProgressiveGel® (ultra-soft cohesive)
- Surface: SmoothSilk® (nano-engineered)
- Shape Technology: Ergonomix2®, adapts with body position
- Profile Options: Round or Ergonomix® (anatomic-feel)
- Capsular Contracture: SmoothSilk® designed to minimize risk
- Best For: Natural movement, athletic/petite frames
- FDA Status: FDA-cleared
- Starting Cost (est.): ~$8,400
Natrelle®
- Generation: Established, FDA-approved
- Gel Type: Multiple options include Responsive, Soft Touch, Cohesive
- Surface: Smooth (INSPIRA) or Textured (410)
- Shape Technology: Round or Anatomic (410)
- Profile Options: 5 profiles: Low to Extra Full
- Capsular Contracture: Long safety track record
- Best For: Wide customization, any goal
- FDA Status: FDA-approved
- Starting Cost (est.): Varies by practice
Mentor®
- Generation: Established, FDA-approved
- Gel Type: MemoryGel® (cohesive silicone)
- Surface: Smooth or Textured
- Shape Technology: Round or Anatomic (CPG)
- Profile Options: Low to Ultra-High
- Capsular Contracture: Long safety track record
- Best For: Natural feel, projection, firmness options
- FDA Status: FDA-approved
- Starting Cost (est.): Varies by practice
Note: Cost estimates reflect typical starting ranges and vary based on individual procedure, anesthesia, facility, and surgeon fees. All three brands are available at BEYOND Collective in Nashville, TN.
Motiva® Breast Implants
6th-generation silicone, engineered for natural movement and safety
What Makes Motiva Different?
Motiva is the newest generation of the three brands and, in many ways, the most technologically advanced option currently available. It was engineered from the ground up with two priorities in mind: the most natural possible look and feel, and a safety profile that reduces the risk of the most common implant complications.
The three innovations that define Motiva are:
- Ergonomix2® technology, which allows the implant to shift dynamically with your body position. When you stand, it takes on a gentle, natural teardrop contour. When you lie down, it softens into a rounder shape. No prior generation of implant has replicated this behavior as convincingly.
- SmoothSilk® nano-surface, a micro-engineered shell that is designed to encourage natural tissue integration and reduce localized inflammation, which is the underlying driver of capsular contracture, one of the most common reasons patients require revision surgery.
- ProgressiveGel® fill, a highly cohesive but exceptionally soft silicone formulation that holds its shape without feeling firm, artificial, or heavy.
Who Is Motiva Best For?
In my practice, Motiva tends to be the strongest choice for:
- Women with slender, athletic, or petite frames who want results that look proportionate and genuinely natural, not implanted
- Patients pursuing the “ballerina breast” aesthetic, perky, soft, and shaped rather than dramatically augmented
- Women who are particularly concerned about capsular contracture, especially those with a personal or family history of the condition
- Patients who are active, exercise frequently, or participate in sports and want implants that move authentically with the body
- Anyone considering minimally invasive techniques, such as the Ballerina approach, as Motiva’s flexible design is well-suited to smaller incisions
What to Keep in Mind
Motiva implants are FDA-cleared for women 22 years of age and older. They carry an expected lifespan of 10 to 20 years, among the longest in the industry, though like all implants they are not lifetime devices. Starting cost for Motiva augmentation in Nashville is around $8,400.
Natrelle® Breast Implants
Allergan’s industry-leading silicone line, with the broadest range of profiles and gel options available
What Makes Natrelle Different?
Natrelle, manufactured by Allergan, is one of the most established and widely trusted names in breast augmentation. Decades of clinical data and an extensive FDA approval history make Natrelle a benchmark against which many other implants are compared. If Motiva’s strength is technological innovation, Natrelle’s strength is the depth and breadth of its customization options.
The INSPIRA Collection, Natrelle’s flagship smooth implant line, offers five profile options from low to extra full and three distinct gel consistencies:
- Responsive gel: the softest option, prioritizing a natural feel and movement
- Soft touch gel: a middle ground balancing softness with structural integrity
- Cohesive gel: the most defined option, ideal when shape retention and upper pole projection are the primary goals
For patients who want a more anatomically shaped implant, Natrelle’s 410 “gummy bear” line offers textured, form-stable options that hold a fixed teardrop shape regardless of body position.
Who Is Natrelle Best For?
Natrelle’s versatility makes it an excellent fit for a wide range of patients. I tend to recommend it for:
- Patients who want maximum customization across profile, gel type, and projection
- Women who prefer the assurance of decades of clinical follow-up data and one of the most extensive FDA safety profiles in the industry
- Patients seeking a more defined, sculpted upper pole with visible cleavage
- Women considering revision surgery where an anatomic or highly specific profile is needed to correct a previous result
- Patients who are comfortable with a wide range of options and want to fine-tune their result precisely
What to Keep in Mind
Natrelle has one of the largest implant selection menus available, which is an advantage, but it also means the consultation process requires a thorough and thoughtful selection process to identify the right combination of profile, gel, and size. This is exactly the kind of decision I walk through carefully with every patient using our 3D imaging simulation and physical sizers.
Mentor® Breast Implants
A globally trusted implant brand, valued for natural feel, quality, and reliable projection
What Makes Mentor Different?
Mentor is recognized as a top global brand in breast aesthetics and has been trusted by plastic surgeons worldwide for decades. The brand’s hallmark is its MemoryGel® silicone formulation, a cohesive gel that closely mimics the look and feel of natural breast tissue while maintaining excellent shape retention over time.
Mentor offers several MemoryGel options to suit different goals:
- MemoryGel standard: the classic formulation balancing softness with shape
- MemoryGel BOOST: offering increased firmness for patients who want more defined structure
- MemoryGel Xtra: designed for enhanced projection, ideal for patients who want noticeable upper pole fullness
Profile options range from low to ultra-high, giving me the flexibility to tailor results very precisely to your proportions, your chest width, and how much projection you want.
Who Is Mentor Best For?
Mentor is a strong choice across a broad patient population. I tend to recommend it for:
- Patients who want noticeable but natural-looking results with reliable shape and projection
- Women who prioritize a firmer feel or who want enhanced upper pole fullness
- Patients seeking high-profile augmentation with a trusted, extensively studied safety record
- Women whose chest dimensions or soft tissue characteristics make a specific MemoryGel profile the most anatomically appropriate fit
- Patients who have had Mentor implants previously and had a positive experience
What to Keep in Mind
Like Natrelle, Mentor has an extensive FDA approval history and decades of peer-reviewed safety data, which is reassuring for patients who prioritize a long clinical track record. Its MemoryGel formulation is particularly well-regarded for minimizing rippling and wrinkling, especially in patients with thinner soft tissue coverage.
How I Actually Make the Decision with My Patients
The brand comparison above gives you a useful framework, but I want to be transparent about something: in my practice, the implant selection process is never about picking a winner. It is about matching the right tool to the right patient.
Here is what I assess during your consultation:
1. Your Breast Anatomy and Measurements
The single most important measurement is your breast base width, which tells me the maximum diameter of implant that can sit comfortably on your chest wall without interfering with movement or daily activities. Your skin quality, soft tissue thickness, and the existing volume and position of your breast tissue all influence which implant properties will produce the most natural result.
2. Your Aesthetic Goals
I always start with: what does your ideal result look and feel like? Do you want something that looks like you simply grew into a fuller version of yourself, or do you want a more sculpted, visible augmentation? Are you drawn to the soft, proportionate ballerina aesthetic, or do you prefer a rounder, higher-profile look? Inspiration photos are enormously helpful here, not because I replicate them literally, but because they reveal what matters most to you visually.
3. Your Lifestyle and Activity Level
Women who are very active, practice yoga, run, swim, or participate in sports often benefit from Motiva’s dynamic, position-responsive design. Women who are less focused on movement authenticity and more focused on a specific aesthetic profile may find Natrelle or Mentor a more precise fit for their goals.
4. Your Medical History
A personal or family history of capsular contracture, autoimmune conditions, or prior implant complications all influence which brand and surface type I recommend. Motiva’s SmoothSilk® surface is particularly relevant for patients with capsular contracture history given its design intent to reduce that risk.
5. Your Incision Preference and Recovery Goals
If minimizing scar length and downtime are high priorities, Motiva’s flexible Ergonomix® implants are designed to be placed through smaller incisions than traditional implants. If those are not driving concerns, Natrelle and Mentor both offer excellent outcomes through standard inframammary incisions.
When you come into my consultation room, I am not thinking about which brand I prefer. I am thinking about which implant, in which size, through which approach, will give you the result you described to me, in a body that looks and feels like yours.
How We Visualize Your Results Before Surgery
One of the most valuable tools in my consultation process is our Crisalix 3D imaging simulation. After taking photos during your consultation, we can simulate what different implant volumes, profiles, and brands might look like on your specific body, before you ever step into an operating room.
We also use physical silicone sizers during your consultation, so you can feel the difference between gel types and profiles in clothing. Seeing and feeling the difference between a 300cc moderate profile in ProgressiveGel® versus a 300cc full profile in MemoryGel® tells you far more than any description I can give you in words.
Finally, I always review before-and-after photos of patients with a similar build and starting volume, so you can see real-world results rather than manufacturer renderings.
View Real Patient Results
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Common Questions I Hear from Patients
Can I switch implant brands if I need revision surgery later?
Yes. If you need revision surgery down the line, whether to change size, address a complication, or simply update your result, I am not locked into the brand you started with. The decision is made fresh based on your anatomy and goals at that time.
Does one brand last longer than the others?
Motiva carries a projected lifespan of 10 to 20 years, one of the longest in the industry. Natrelle and Mentor have extensive long-term data supporting durable results, though the general guidance for all implants is that replacement or evaluation around the 10-year mark is prudent. No implant is considered a lifetime device, regardless of brand.
Is one brand safer than the others?
All three brands are FDA-cleared or FDA-approved and meet rigorous safety standards. Motiva’s SmoothSilk® surface is specifically engineered to reduce capsular contracture risk, which is a meaningful clinical distinction. Natrelle and Mentor both have decades of safety data and an extensive body of peer-reviewed literature supporting their use. The “safest” implant for any individual patient is the one that is most appropriate for her anatomy, history, and goals, selected by a skilled surgeon using careful judgment.
Does it matter that you are a female plastic surgeon when choosing an implant?
My patients often tell me that having a female surgeon changes the conversation in meaningful ways. I understand what it feels like to navigate the world in a woman’s body, and I bring that perspective to every consultation. It shapes the questions I ask, the way I listen to answers, and the way I think about what “natural” actually means to each individual patient. I do not think it changes which implant is biologically the right fit, but I do think it changes the quality and depth of the conversation we have getting there.
The Bottom Line
Motiva, Natrelle, and Mentor are all excellent implant brands. The question is never which one is best in the abstract. It is which one is best for you, specifically, given your anatomy, your goals, your history, and the life you live.
That is a question I cannot answer in a blog post, but I can answer it in a consultation. If you are exploring breast augmentation in Nashville and want to talk through your options with a board-certified female plastic surgeon who offers all three brands and no preference beyond what is right for you, I would love to meet you.
About the Author
Dr. Olivia MaDan, MD
Dr. Olivia MaDan is one of Nashville’s premier board-certified female plastic surgeons, specializing in breast and body contouring procedures. She founded BEYOND Collective with an all-female team and a mission to empower patients with the information and care they need to make confident aesthetic decisions. When she is not in the operating room, Dr. MaDan can be found snowboarding, fishing, or on the golf course, always with her dogs Blaze and Townes nearby.
Ready to Find the Right Implant for You?
Schedule your consultation with Dr. Olivia MaDan at BEYOND Collective in Nashville, TN.
(615) 327-0303 | yournashvilleplasticsurgeon.com | 1914 Charlotte Ave #101, Nashville, TN 37203
