Be informed before making a decision on silicone breast implants.
Silicone breast implants have been a longtime concern for women considering breast implants. In 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew silicone breast implants as an approved material for surgeries due to complaints filed by "hundreds of thousands of women" according to the website Now (now.org) stating that they had suffered various illnesses after experience the leakage or rupture of a silicone breast implant. In 2006, the FDA stated that silicone gel-filled breast implants were safe to use.
Rupture or Deflation
Because silicone implants are composed of a thick gel, if the implant happens to rupture, much of the gel may stay within the capsule. However, sometimes women may notice a slightly decreased size of their breast, an irregular breast shape, hardened lumps around the implant, tingling, swelling, a burning sensation, or numbness. This type of rupture is called a symptomatic rupture because it displays symptoms.
Rupture Without Symptoms
According to the FDA, it is possible to have no symptoms associated with a ruptured silicone implant. This type of rupture is known as a silent rupture. Not even a physician will be able to spot a ruptured implant by an examination. The only way to know for certain if a silicone implant has indeed ruptured is to get an MRI examination. The FDA recommends having an MRI examination performed three years after the surgery and every two years thereafter.
Migration
When silicone leaks out of the implant, the silicone might migrate or make its way towards other parts of the body. Granulomas, or hardened lumps of silicone, may form in the chest area and other tissues in areas that the silicone has migrated to. This sometimes occurs within the breast tissue, chest walls, arms, or armpit areas. In some cases, silicone gel has migrated to the liver. Removal of the gel can prove to be difficult for surgeons and in some cases, it may not be able to be removed at all.
Capsular Contracture
When breast augmentation surgery occurs, it is common for scar tissue to form around the implant itself. However, when this scar tissue starts to squeeze the implant it can cause problems. Four different grades of capsular contracture are recognized by physicians with grade four being the most painful and the implant becoming very hard. It is still unknown as to why capsular contracture occurs. In some cases, another operation is necessary to correct the contracture.
Tags: breast implants, silicone breast, some cases, around implant, hardened lumps, scar tissue, silicone implant
