Keller Funnel for breast augmentation patients

by Joseph L. Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS

Joseph Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS

Every now and then a new invention comes along that I wish I’d invented. So it is with the Keller Funnel. I have been using this new breast augmentation device for about a year. It is an amazing advancement in breast augmentation surgery. In addition to the improvement in my surgical results, two of the things that make it so amazing are its simplicity and ease of use.

Invented by Dr. Kevin Keller, a board certified plastic surgeon, the Keller Funnel is a nylon funnel similar to the icing funnels used by bakers to decorate cakes. Surgically, it helps squeeze breast implants into the small spaces where they will stay. The device is lubricated to help the implants slide through a smaller opening. This is especially helpful when placing silicone gel implants which are already filled at the factory prior to insertion as opposed to saline implants which are placed in the patient prior to being filled.

Just when we began to think that breast augmentation was straightforward and couldn’t be improved, along came a device like the Keller Funnel, which in my opinion has catapulted the procedure ahead dramatically. The Keller Funnel has a number of important advantages:

1. Makes the “No-touch delivery technique” a reality. The Keller Funnel enables surgeons to avoid touching the implant or letting the implant touch the patient’s skin during insertion. This reduces the risk of contamination and infection. More importantly, we believe that the risk of capsule contracture (when a breast implant becomes hard and deformed) may be significantly reduced by using this device.

2. Shorter scars. We do not need to make longer incisions to fit an implant into the space. This means scar lengths are significantly reduced.

3. Reduced tissue trauma. Together with shorter scars comes less trauma to the patient’s’ tissues, which helps improve both the quality of the scar, including discoloration and thickness, as well as decreasing the risk of capsule contracture.

4. Less force. Because there is less stretching force on the implant itself during placement, we think this will decrease the risk of implant rupture over time.

The Keller Funnel is the “icing on the cake” for my breast augmentation patients. If you are considering breast augmentation and want to maximize your chances for a beautiful result, seek a board certified plastic surgeon who is not only experienced in breast augmentation, but has experience with the Keller Funnel as well.