Three basic questions and answers about breast implants:
Q. Do breast implants cause disease?
A. The Food and Drug Administration has decided that silicone breast implants probably are not linked to cancer, malfunction of the immune system or other chronic diseases. However, it has required implant makers to study the issue for the next 10 years to make sure. The study also will cover related health problems, such as chronic pain cited by women whose silicone breast implants leaked.
Q. How long will breast implants last?
A. Breast implants have been improved since the 1960s, when they were first introduced. Current models provide more protection against ruptures. However, implants typically will not last a lifetime, according to the FDA. A majority of patients will eventually need to have them removed or replaced because of a rupture or other complication. Women with silicone implants should have a MRI scan every two to three years to make sure the implants haven’t ruptured, spilling the silicone gel into the body.
Q. What if I have the implants removed?
A. Many of the changes to the breast following implantation may be undesirable and irreversible, the FDA says. Patients who choose to have implants removed may experience unacceptable breast-tissue loss; dimpling, puckering or wrinkling of the breast; or other cosmetically undesirable effects.
Dr. Donald Altman, chief of plastic surgery at Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center, says most patients who experience problems with an implant will replace it with another one.
Nationwide, about 27,000 woman had breast implants removed last year, compared to 329,000 who had their breasts enlarged with new implants, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
This post is a version of a piece that was first published in the Orange County Register on Nov. 7, 2007. Sources: FDA, Allergan, physicians.
