What You Should Know About Silicone...

About Silicone Breast Implants

Silicone breast implants are prosthetic medical devices used for cosmetic purposes. These cosmetic purposes can range from what is normally considered to be purely cosmetic to gender reassignment (i.e. male-to-female operations) to reconstruction, as in the case of mastectomies.

These implants essentially come in two forms: a silicone shell filled with silicone gel, or a silicone shell filled with a saline solution. Of the former, in many countries, there continue to exist many legal restrictions both on their sale and use. This is mainly due to the fallout that occurred in the 1990's when a significant number of women developed complications due to ruptured silicone gel implants. It should be noted that, many of these women were affected by the first few generations of implants developed from 1961 to the 1980s.

To this day, there have been no genuinely conclusive long term studies regarding the risks of the current generation of silicone gel implants. In part, a big factor is simply the age of this generation of implants relative to the age of a long term study - think of at least 10 or more years.

Regardless of the lack of conclusive data on the potential health risks of silicone gel implants, including the saline solution type, several facts are known today.

Enough facts are known so that in some countries, it is the legal responsibility of the surgeon to ensure that the patient agrees to undergo the procedure with a reasonable, informed consent. Other variables can include the age of the patient. (Implants are never recommended in individuals whose breasts may still be growing.) Also, a cooling off period of a few weeks is often recommended. This is to allow the individual to more objectively review the potential risks, ask the surgeon more questions, and possibly come to a better understanding of WHY they want to have the procedure done.

One known fact is that, no matter how durable existing implants became, a lot can happen once it's inside a person's body. The reality is that implants can rupture, and will need to be replaced. The issue, of course, is when. Again, this is something that can vary among individuals and how they take care of their implants. In other words, it's normally safe to assume that an implant will need to be replaced within the lifetime of the individual. Again, a lot can depend on the individual and not just their age.

Irrespective of whether the implant consists of silicone gel or saline solution, no medical device is 100 percent safe. Just as there are few things in life that are 100 percent safe. The point is giving informed consent, and not rushing into an elective surgical procedure.