Breast implant disease: Fact or myth?

Recently, the term “breast implant disease” has become popular on social media to describe a series of symptoms that have been attributed to a patient’s breast implants. These symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, hair loss, headaches, chills, light sensitivity, rashes, and chronic pain, among others. While physicians seek to treat these physical symptoms, evidence currently supports the safety of silicone breast implants.

This article presents an updated review focused on the safety of silicone breast implants. Patients retain the right to decide whether to keep or remove their breast implants and for those who choose removal, they should be advised to seek the care of a board-certified plastic surgeon.

As a scientific community, it is our duty to continue to conduct well-designed scientific studies to obtain more information about the safety of breast implants in relation to cancer screening, autoimmune disease and other health concerns in order to improve patient safety, awareness and education.

“…currently there have been no concrete or evidence-based studies that support the formation of a new syndrome “silicone implant disease…”

This review article aims to outline both the content and timeline of all the research and evidence regarding the newly coined phrase “breast implant disease.” The authors of this study support that currently there have been no concrete or evidence-based studies that support the formation of a new syndrome “silicone implant disease”.

The purpose of this review article is to discuss the current state of scientific evidence related to the safety of silicone breast implants. In times of uncertainty, unwanted noise can easily distort research-based evidence. It is the responsibility of all physicians, especially plastic surgeons, to always put patient safety first and to critically evaluate our practices and the industry companies that serve our patients.

“…In times of uncertainty, unwanted noise can easily distort research-based evidence…”

Few medical devices have been subjected to the degree of scrutiny and speculation as silicone breast implants.

As it stands today, there is overwhelming evidence supporting the safety of silicone breast implants, a fact that is also reflected in the FDA’ s updated position on the use of these implants. Ultimately, the decision to obtain, keep or remove breast implants is the patient’s choice; something surgeons have a responsibility to support. If a patient chooses to have her breast implants removed, it is important that she find a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in breast surgery.

“…The patient must always be the priority, as it is their body and, therefore, their final decision on what is best for them…”

It is then the plastic surgeon ‘s job to support his patient’s decision by providing sound medical advice that includes presenting her with facts about the health risks associated with silicone breast implants. The patient should always be the priority, as it is their body and therefore their final decision on what is best for them, as breast implantation is an elective medical decision. If a patient chooses to have her implants removed, she should consider complete removal of the capsule, unless the posterior capsule is attached to the chest wall, which could increase the risk of pneumothorax. In cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) or ruptured implants with a thick calcified capsule, total capsulectomy is required.

To date to our scientific knowledge, there have been no concrete or evidence-based studies or peer-reviewed data supporting the formation of a new syndrome “breast implant disease”.

Source

#BreastImplantSickness#BreastImplants#SiliconeMammaryImplants#BreastIncrease#ReconstructionBreastRebuilding#PatientSafety#SiliconeMammaryImplants#PlasticSurgery#MedicalDecisions#PatientEmpowerment#EvidenceBasedMedicine#HealthAwareness#ScientificReview#MedicalResearch#PatientChoice#PlasticSurgeon#MedicalEthics#ImplantSafety#CancerDetection#AutoimmuneDisease#HealthConcerns#PatientEducation#Capsulectomy#ALCL#ThePatientIsFirst