An elastomeric gel-filled prosthetic implant (10) having a shell made of asingle gel barrier layer. The barrier layer(14) is formed of a homogeneous silicone elastomer capable of stericallyretarding permeation of the silicone gel through the shelland having a bleed rate that is less than about 40% of. the bleed rate ofcurrent shells which use a sandwiched construction withan internal barrier layer. Further, the barrier layer shell is made of amaterial that exhibits a wet strength that is comparable to orgreater than current shells. The silicone elastomer may be a polydimethylsiloxane, and the substituted chemical group is a diphenylgroup with a minimum mole percent of at least 13%. The implant may be designedfor breast reconstruction or augmentation suchthat the shell is accordingly shaped. The shell wall thickness is at least0.254 mm (0.010 inches), and desirably about 0.456 mm(0.018 inches). The implant shell may be made by dip-forming, spray- forming,or rotational molding. The exterior may be smoothor textured.
