Breast Implants PIP Recalled
Women in Australia who have undergone breast augmentation with silicone gel implants may have to get them replaced.
Breast implants manufactured by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), a French subsidiary of Heritage Worldwide, Inc., have been recalled after the health regulatory agency in France (AFSSAPS) found that PIP was using an unauthorised silicone gel rather than the one that was reported as being used. Although all implants are not lifetime devices, the risk of rupture for PIP implants is double that of others.
Because all silicone cohesive gel implants have a softer consistency that remains in tact, ruptures tend to go unnoticed for a longer period of time than saline filled implants. Doctors recommend women with PIP implants get an ultrasound to check for ruptures.
Silicone breast implants have been widely available in Australia since 2000. PIP implants are still circulating and are distributed by Medical Vision Australia. However, a few doctors did not use them because of their increased risk of rupture.
In Canada, there are a number of implant manufacturers but only two reign at the top: Mentor and Allergan. If you undergo breast augmentation in Toronto and get a silicone or saline implant, chances are, they’ll have been manufactured by one of the two.
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