Are breast implants safe?
You want to swap your A cup for a C cup but you're worried that breast implants have a bad reputation. Are breast implants really safe? Doctissimo helps you distinguish breast implant fact from fiction.
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Do breast implants increase the risk of cancer, and particularly breast cancer? What other health problems could breast implants provoke? Doctissimo helps you distinguish between fact and fiction. So read on and find out what you should keep in mind if you decide to go for breast implants - for whatever reason.
Breast implant's bad reputation
To increase breast size, or reconstruct a breast, plastic surgeons use breast implants: the most popular being silicone gel implants as they come in a variety of shapes and feel and appear more natural.
For many years, silicone implants were blamed for numerous health problems including autoimmune illnesses and rheumatological problems (most notably, rheumatoid arthritis). However, several studies have subsequently concluded that they pose no such risks1,2 and there is now a lesser risk of the silicon gel implant rupturing.
Breast implants and cancer
Several studies3,4,5 had already produced reassuring results, confirming that women with breast implants are not at any greater risk of developing breast cancer. However, the data available was still very limited both in terms of number and duration of studies, the longest of which was 10-15 years. To eliminate all doubt, a group of Danish researchers6 followed nearly 3,000 women who had chosen to undergo breast augmentation between 1973 and 1995. This longitudinal study followed some of the participants for up to 30 years and is one of the longest ever on the subject.
The results were unequivocal: there was no increased risk of breast cancer in women with breast implants with the researchers even noting a very minor decrease in risk. Neither was there an increased risk in developing other cancers, with the exception of superficial skin cancer (not melanomas), which could be also linked to increased sun exposure. Perhaps women who've had breast augmentation are spending more time outdoors, sunning their breasts?
Breast implants and health risks
The breast implant has come a VERY long way, from its early days in the 1890's (yes, the 1890's), when a rather rudimentary models (rubber, sponge etc. filled) were employed for breast reconstruction. Today's fifth generation breast implants are technically, medically and aesthetically superior - all of which have contributed to lower health risks and more natural looking results. Results of scientific studies over the last decade have shown the following results so far:
- Breast implants don't increase women's overall mortality rates.
- Breast implants don't increase the risk of breast cancer.
- Breast implants don't prevent breastfeeding, but may result in an increased risk of breast-feeding problems due to the method of surgery employed that may damage milk ducts, nerves in the breast, nipples etc. Women planning to breast-feed should discuss this with their surgeon BEFORE surgery so that the most appropriate surgery method be employed.
- The presence of implants may interfere with mammograms so it's important to tell the radiologist so that the procedure can be adapted accordingly.
- In 2009, the European Union indicated that additional medical studies indicated no association between silicone breast implants and carcinoma, metabolic, immune or allergic disorders8.
Possible complications with breast implants
While the long-term health risks from breast implants appear minor (provided there is no leakage or rupture), undergoing breast implant surgery is not without risk, as with any invasive surgery. Apart from the usual risks involved with the general aesthetic some examples of possible breast implant complications include:
- Capsular contracture is the formation of a capsule around the implant is the body's normal way of reacting to, and isolating, what it considers as a foreign object. The formation of this membrane is, therefore, a way of protecting the body. However, in some cases the membrane thickens and forms a hard shell of scar tissue around the implant. This is what is known as capsular contracture. If the contracture is severe, it can be very painful and lead to aesthetic complications, such as hardening and deformation in the shape of the breast, requiring further surgery and a possible replacement of the implant itself.
- Ruptured implants are another complication and may be caused by a number of factors: the age of the implant, damage during other surgical interventions, degradation of the implant's shell, trauma, or excess pressure during a mammogram. The silicone gel may remain contained within the fibrous capsule surrounding the implant (in which case there are no other symptoms) or it may leak outside of the capsule. Such a leakage will cause the body to react against the foreign object, resulting in the formation of nodules (siliconomes) or inflamed lymph nodes. If this occurs, the implant will need to be surgically removed and replaced. It should be noted however, that progress has been made in the quality of breast implants over the last decade and such ruptures and leaks are now a much rarer occurance.
All women who have undergone breast implant surgery should ideally be monitored for a fortnight following the operation and then again after three months and twelve months. This is where the philosophy of "costmetic surgery tourism" comes apart - who is going to follow up to make sure that all is fine after the operation?
If complications do arise, or if there is any concern about possible complications or trauma, then a further checkup will be required every five years.
1 - Plast Reconstr Surg. 2003 Feb;111(2):723-32; discussion 733-4
2 - Arch Intern Med. 2001 Apr 9;161(7):973-9
3 - Int J Cancer. 2000 Oct 15;88(2):301-6
4 - Cancer Causes Control. 2000 Oct;11(9):819-27
5 - J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 2002;12(4):271-9
6 - Int J Cancer. 2006 Feb 15;118(4):998-1003
7 - French Health Authority – Jan 2004
8 - "Eighth IQUAM consensus conference position statement: Transatlantic innovations, April 2009," Neuhann-Lorenz C, Fedeles J, Eisenman-Klein M, Kinney B, Cunningham BL., Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011 Mar;127(3):1368-75.
Copyright © 2011 Doctissimo
Posted 30.06.2010
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