IMPLANTS ARE SAFE

A lot of concerned was expressed recently when the French government announced it would pay to have all Gel implants in French women removed.

Concerned patients should know that only implants manufactured by PIP (Poly Implant Prosthesis) were to be removed. Apparently, from what research I have done, the gel used in PIP implants was INDUSTRIAL grade NOT MEDICAL grade.

As a Fort Myers plastic surgeon, I only use MENTOR implants, which are medical grade silicone.

I guess it’s like buying steak-you can have choice or top-of-the-line prime. I’m sure there are many European women with PIP implants. PIP used industrial grade silicone because it simply was CHEAPER.

Years and years ago, I took care of several patients who had “industrial” grade silicone actually injected into their breasts. No implants. Just industrial grade material placed into syringes and then injected into their breasts. The results were terrible. These women developed severe inflammations and multiple nodules. Mammograms became more difficult to perform. Many of these women required simple mastectomies and reconstruction.

The company, PIP, went bankrupt in 2010 and shut its doors. Their president/founder is M. Jean-Claude Mas. He is 72 and in poor health. As always this will be played out in the courtroom…many years later. Till then, rest assured, unless you received a PIP implant, most likely in Europe, all is well.

Silicone vs. Saline and other breast questions

The trend among plastic surgeons and patients is toward the softer, more natural silicone gel implants.

50% of implants NOW sold are silicone gel.

The number of gel implants used before the ban was single digits, ie. less than10%.

There is no question they give a softer, more natural look for the most part. This is especially true for women with minimal to no breast tissue.

Breast hardness after augmentation

Every patient who undergoes breast augmentation develops a capsule. The key is to keep the capsule soft and natural.

Why do some breasts get hard?

There are probably many factors, one of which is bacterial contamination in the pocket receiving the implant. A company named TxRxPharma Inc. is developing an anti-biotic sleeve to place around the implant just prior to placement. The anti-biotics in this wrap are tetracycline and rifamycin. In preliminary studies, the capsule formed by the implants wrapped in this special sheet were much softer and more natural.

Perhaps the holy grail for breast augmentation is just around the corner. More to come.

For more information about breast implants, make a visit to my website, Beauty-by-Brueck.com and navigate to any of the pages about breast enhancement.

Thank you