11 Jul Are Silicone Breast Implants Safe?
Silicone Implants first came out in the 1960’s. At that time, they had a very thick inner silicone layer, covered by a relatively thick and tough silicone, or rubber shell. When they were placed in the breast, they were very hard. In the 1970’s, those implants were made with a very thin shell, and very watery, very liquid silicone solution. As we got into the 1980’s, they started toughening up the shell, and thickening up the silicone inside. However, also in the 1980’s, those earlier implants started to break. That liquid silicone ran everywhere, and was found in the liver, the lungs, the brain and everywhere. People started blaming many of their relatively rare diseases on this silicone. Therefore, the FDA, in order to calm the uproar and anxiety about these implants, pulled them off the market until they could run tests to prove whether or not they were safe. The silicone implants were taken of the shelves in 1991.
From 1991, until 2006, I used about 95% saline, or salt-water filled implants. I did a few cases with silicone as an investigator with the Implant companies and the FDA. The silicone implants came back into the market in 2006, with no single study showing any health problems associated with silicone implants. By 2006, the implants also, now had a very thick, glue-like consistency. If they leaked, it was very slow, over a long time. The FDA recommended routine MRI studies in those patients to watch for this early leakage of silicone.
The most recent generation of implants are now referred to a “highly cohesive” silicone, or some call them the “gummy bear” implants. They are essentially a solid silicone implant. I have one in my office cut in half to demonstrate this solid nature of these implants. The fear of leaking silicone implants is now essentially a thing of the past.
If you are interested in breast implants, come on in. Let’s talk. We can discuss all the options and differences in implant surgery that will help you achieve the look you want!
