TOPIC: Avanti or Dr Rupeka?

I’m new here and considering going in for some extra Girth. From what I’ve seen here I really like the results from dr Rupeka but I’m in California so Avanti would be much more convenient. Looking for some opinions on which route you would take. I’ve looked into a few other in California but ultimately the prices are too high that I’d have to wait to save up. Please chime in ur opinions or experiences. Thanks !

Both are great options, and there are other qualified PMMA providers around the country as well. But whenever I offer to play tie-breaker, I have to be very careful not to create a conflict of interest as I promote all Sponsors equally while simultaneously encouraging healthy competition. It's a balancing act on a tight rope, so instead what I do is give you things to consider that may make one more of a "better fit" as opposed to "which one is better."

Typically if you are dealing with two practitioners and you happen to like them both, you need to look at a few factors which may help guide you in the right direction:

1. Distance: being close to your practitioner is more re-assuring in case you need to make an urgent trip back to correct a significant issue or complication. Plus flights are likely cheaper if the distance is especially close. This would give Avanti Derma a slight edge but it's exceedingly rare for a return trip if you've managed to get through 3-4 days in Tijuana.
   
2. Logistics: it's easier to explain a trip to Ohio than it is to sneak out with our passport and spend a week in Mexico (explaining to work, relatives, etc.) This would give Dr. Rupeka a slight edge unless you don't believe setting aside for time for a brief International trip will stumble your plans..
3. Budget: obviously the less expensive of the two gets a check mark, however you must take travel & lodging into consideration; also, if finances are of no concern, than this bullet-point is moot.
4. PMMA Type: Avanti Derma uses Linnea Safe: made Internationally (unsure of how robust the country of origin's FDA is but on the flip side has been used for many years without issue) and Dr. Rupeka uses Bellafill (may require more downtime and post-op maintenance because the bovine carrier breaks down much slower than the gel carrier of Linnea Safe, however on the flip side is approved by a notoriously strict FDA. So this is a toss-up, but at least one more thing to factor in.

As you can see, I sort of made it a tie but wanted to create enough contrast that might help you personally figure out the way to go.

Either is a win-win, hope you figure it out and good luck!

Is Bellafill harder or LinneaSafe?

I will be able to answer this soon as I think I'm the only member who had a procedure with both

PmmaFan wrote: Is Bellafill harder or LinneaSafe?

I can't see any reason (at least on paper) why the end-results would be any different. The carriers are different, which may or may not influence certain aesthetics (proneness to nodules, things of that nature which we don't have a lot information on yet as it pertains to Bellafill), but as far as "firmness/hardness," I'd wager they are effectively the same when the carrier is completely broken down by the body.

It's the PMMA microspheres that induce collagen growth and both Linnea Safe and Bellafill are basically in the same range with respect to the size of their microspheres, which leads me to believe they'd have very comparable growth, and thus firmness/hardness. Again, I say this in the proverbial "on paper" or "in theory."

Hello @PmmaFan
As @Skeptical_One mentioned correctly, the PMMA microspheres are responsible for the formation of new collagen.
Bellafil contains 20% PMMA suspended in collagen; Linnea contains either 10 or 30% PMMA suspended in carboxymethylcellulose.
Years ago, we used to mix 10 and 30% Linnea to reach a middle point of 20%, but clinical results showed no difference between 20 and 30, so we stopped doing it.
In the end, every single patient will respond slightly differently, and I guess that if we did (let's say) half a penis with one of the products and the other half with the other one, no difference would be noticeable once the implants are settled.
It is a good question, though. Thank you.
DrC @ Avanti Derma

uncuthero wrote: I will be able to answer this soon as I think I'm the only member who had a procedure with both

Can you answer this question now?

I can reply as I have been to Avanti 3 times, Rupeka once, and Jiva twice. So I have had both Linnea and Bellafil.
They are very similiar but I’ve experience 2 noticeable differences. Bellafil seems to hold position the first couple of days. So migration of product is less with the Bellafil. Also, Bellafil matrix carrying the microspheres seemed to last a little longer before being absorbed. The growth time for both are similar as I appeared to have growth out to almost 6 months after a procedure.

Do you have your progress reports up?

I'm not sure why you'd fly to Ohio already being in Cali. Dr. Casavantes has been at the forefront of this the past 15 years.

herkermer wrote: I can reply as I have been to Avanti 3 times, Rupeka once, and Jiva twice. So I have had both Linnea and Bellafil.
They are very similiar but I’ve experience 2 noticeable differences. Bellafil seems to hold position the first couple of days. So migration of product is less with the Bellafil. Also, Bellafil matrix carrying the microspheres seemed to last a little longer before being absorbed. The growth time for both are similar as I appeared to have growth out to almost 6 months after a procedure.

@herkermer Can you post your experience between Rupeka and Jiva? Which result did you prefer and why?

I enjoyed Jiva better because of the woman that performs the procedure. She deeply cares about the aesthetics and she is fun and easy to talk too.
With that said Dr Rupeka was cool too, and he did mention to me that he had a clinic of some kind with other Doctors and they were talking about how much they charge, and he said “that he couldn’t charge people like everyone else was”. Which I find ethical and genuine.
I found Mina(I believe is her name) to be very good at what she does and I’m confident that she will do the best job possible. As far as cost goes, I don’t think she is the one making all those decisions.

@herkermer
does Dr Rupeka also take former Avanti clients?

Was happy before with Avanti. I want now to go to Rupeka to complete with doing the Underside !

How many days after injection Bellafill is moldable?

Yes. He did with me