Worried about silicone safety...

Hi girls,

I purchased the following DVD and am currently watching it in a bid to do as much research as possible before hopefully having my BA later this year (and before my second consultation which is tomorrow):

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To be honest, it has TOTALLY freaked me out. Granted, it is American so things may be slightly different over there but surely not THAT different. While I bought it assuming that it'd be full of lovely stories about woman undergoing BAs and emerging totally ecstatic about their new physiques, it is basically a 1.5 hour long documentary about how dangerous silicone implants are. I addressed some initial concerns with the PS I had my first consultation with and he rubbished them, saying they are outdated concerns and there is no proof silicone implants are damaging to health. The DVD says that plastic surgeons take this tactic a lot because they don't want to lose a potential customer so they lie when in fact, silicone implants and even the silicone shell on saline implants can seriosuly impact a woman's health. One of the PSs on the DVD showed several ruptured silicone implants he'd removed and they were disgusting: mouldy, leaking, yellow...he said the platinum and mercury in the implants had seeped into the woman's lymph nodes causing cancer and all sorts of problems, including depression, suicidal ideation...all very concerning things. The documentary was made in 2009 so I don't think there have been any major advancements to eradicate all the problems posed by the DVD since then.

Sorry for this jumbled post, I was just really looking forward to my BA now I have reservations and I don't know why so many books and DVDs would claim so many awful things about silicone implants if it was untrue...was wondering if anyone could shed some light on these claims?

xxx

What the heck have you been watching lol!

Bin it babe... You're sat watching a load of outdated rubbish

To date there is NO evidence to directly link breast cancer to breast implants

Its only been the last few years that American have caught up with us in the UK after banning silicone in the past and therefore any American literature you'll probably buy will most probably be anti-silicone.

Breast implants are not lifetime devices. The longer a woman has them, the more likely she is to have complications and need to have the implants removed or replaced. Women with breast implants will need to monitor their breasts for the rest of their lives.

The most frequently observed complications and adverse outcomes are tightening of the area around the implant (capsular contracture), additional surgeries, and implant removal. Other complications include a tear or hole in the outer shell (implant rupture), wrinkling, uneven appearance (asymmetry), scarring, pain, and infection.

Studies to date do not indicate that silicone gel-filled breast implants cause breast cancer, reproductive problems, or connective tissue disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis. However, no study has been large enough or long enough to completely rule out these and other rare complications.

Quote from the FDA HERE xx

It's also no coincidence that a lot of the problems only seemed to happen in the US and no where near the amount in Europe or any other country.

I think the allergan natrelles are FDA approved xx

The documentary was made in 2009 so I don't think there have been any
major advancements to eradicate all the problems posed by the DVD since
then.

There are advancements all the time hun. The silicone you seen used in those videos are very old, this is the runny type of silicone that is no longer used. Now they have the 4th generation silicone which is not completely form stable but much better than the runny silicone and the FDA have approved 2 manufacturers in 2006, the allergan inspira responsive gel and the mentor memory gel. FDA approval is very expensive and they undergo tests and study over a 10 year period and pre qualifying tests to ensure saftey.
They also have the newer 5th generation implant nicknamed the gummi bear style implants, where like the sweet you can cut them in half and the gel doesn't go anywhere. Just last year the FDA approved Sientra’s Silicone Gel Breast Implants.
So I would say yes there have been a lot of advancements and these are still on going.
As long as you research the implants make sure you have a good make, that has a good reputation and your implants will be fine.

Hi guys,





Thank you so much for your messages. The DVD was pretty
scary and it showed a couple of women whose lives were supposedly ruined by
having breast implants. One was having hers removed following rupture and she
was disabled. It interviewed her family who said she was a shell of her former
self and she will never be the same. She spoke to the camera and said that
women seeking BAs are misled and not told the truth about silicone and
basically implied that they’d cause all sorts of terrible things to happen. I guess I thought there's no smoke without fire and these claims must have been made for a reason, but I'm going to address my concerns with the PS tomorrow.



Misf1: You're right. I noticed that the implants they showed were the runny kind, so I take it the ones used nowadays are such that the silicone gel doesn't go into your bloodstream if ruptured? Do you know anywhere i could specifically research the different kinds or brands of implants available? xxx

As you can see from the link I provided, the FDA are working closely with Allergan and Mentor and neither of these implants have been directly linked with cancer... The only other main competitors here are Nagor and Silimed, so you could if you wished to write to them directly and get your concerns answered by them.

But to be honest hun, as I've said, the evidence by all the women who claim to have problems with silicone implants has all been inconclusive.

in saying that... there is however a 'possible' association to anaplastic large cell lymphoma. It is a very small risk though, but you should quite rightly be fully informed before reaching your decision.

You can read about that in this thread [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

For me personally this wasn't enough to deter me from wanting boobs, but if its something that might concern you then it may be worth thinking about babe. Xx

Thanks Cookie, I'll have a read at the thread. If the risk is minimal enough, it probably wouldn't affect my decision as this is something I've wanted for a very long time. The DVD just made it seem like if you get silicone implants, problems are a complete inevitability. It was such sensationalist rubbish.

Think the Americans were just scare mongering about implants tbh babe, theyve moved away from silicone being the scurge of the earth to just anatomicals being the scurge now so really wouldnt worry about it =] i know the FDA deffo approved some implants. If you look in plastic surgeon section and the Eurosilicone thread i posted a link with a list of FDA approved implants x

Thank you chick! Why are anatomicals getting a bad rep amongst Americans now?

Just saying that the rate of rotation is astronomical but it really isnt its just the same as capsular contracture. They are even starting to concede with that now tho because they are doing clinical trials with pre-approved surgeons to see if they will FDA approve them =] x x x x

I have heard from a couple of PSs that the rate of rotation is around 5% which isn't atronomical at all. I don't know why some people sensationalise things so much. TBH when I was watching the video, I could tell that some people on it were lying or at least really overstating the truth. One woman who had her implants removed due to 'complications' basically looked at the camera and said 'don't get implants unless you want to risk your life'. It was a bit chilling for someone who wants implants but ultimately I thought 'oh shut up you old bean!'

One word lovely - COMPENSATION xx

I agree with Cookie, i would have a ritual and burn that bloody dvd with your old bras ;) x x x x

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That is the link from FDA approved implants x

Hahahaha!!! Yes you're probably right, it completely shocks me though! I am happy that my fears were completely unfounded though. On the plus side, I watched actual surgery being performed on the DVD and despite my fear of blood, I didn't find it to bad at all and have a better idea of what is involved. Doesn't seem like a complicated procedure at all. I have a consultation tomorrow in Newcastle and given your reassurances, I am excited once again. I am actually getting a bit hungry for my new boobs (that sounds very pervy but I hope it makes sense! I just really want them!)

Haha it totally does, i feel the same myself chick =] if you aren't squeemish you can have a look at the surgery Adrian Richards does, it's on Aurora Clinic's website. He explains everything thoroughly, it's very insightful =] when are you getting yours done? x

Oh i will definitely check that out, thank you Balamory! I am very squemish but to be honest, would much rather be informed. I was originally planning to have the surgery done in March but as I have a bit of weight to lose first, I am considering making it July or August instead. How about you? xx

I'm sure ( dont quote me ) that surgeons have actually reverted from saline back to silicone because its much safer, also when I was doin my research the first ever woman to have implants which were silicone still has them to this day!! How true all this is I don't know. The safety is more in the structure of the shell than the inside and they are made today to not spread if they split. The pips were all over the news because it was the first cases of implants being a danger before that there was no news on them that's all my own opinion and own research xx

Scatty, y'know I thought the same before I watched the DVD. The fact is, saline implants still have a silicone shell so if the claims that silicone implants are dangerous are true, saline must hold a lot of the same risks. It doesn't add up to me. The PS I had my first consultation with said that a lot of the women suing implant companies experienced health problems like cancer, lupus etc. and assumed they were caused by the implants, even though the likelihood is that the two are unrelated. It was actually found out that women who have implants are not more likely to get ill than women without them, but women with BAs just draw the link between their illness and the surgery.

P.S. Scatty, just realised your PS is who I have my consultation with tomorrow!!! Excited!!!

One in three people will develop cancer so that would be hard to prove, also my belief is the NHS has been performing these surgeries for years and even recommending it for women that has have has mastomectomys or reconstructive if there was a danger of putting patients at risk for a cosmetic reason surely the NHS wouldn't offer it? Again just my own opinion again xx

Paul Clarke? Xx

April hopefully =] and as Scatty said you can get form stable implants like anatomicals. In America they are called gummy bears because like a gummy bear if you slice it open nothing oozes out x x x

He is amazing!!! Sooo friendly he makes you feel like a friend, I've just had my 6 week check and enjoyed seeing him we talked about Xmas as well as boobs lovely lovely man :) if I ever had mine redone for any reason I'd have Paul Clarke again in a heartbeat xx