Breast Augmentation surgery has gone through a somewhat checkered past to emerge as one of the most popular and safe cosmetic surgeries performed today.
No other procedure has undergone such intense scrutiny from both the lay public and the scientific community. Today, there is an intense focus on patient safety with regards to all plastic surgical procedures, especially breast augmentation. It seems fitting then, that silicone gel breast implants have once again become available in the United States, having passed a thorough, exhaustive fourteen-year period of research.
Dating as far back as the late nineteenth century, ground rubber, glass balls, ivory and ox cartilage were all used as implants. Even as late as the 1950s, unlicensed practitioners were injecting rubber and industrial silicone fluid into breasts causing an array of complications from pain to death. The use of the first silicone gel-filled implant in 1963 and later the first saline-filled implant in 1968 led to an age of progressive improvement in patient safety.
Despite a majority of patients being very satisfied with their breast augmentation, there were some who claimed that silicone gel-filled implants caused autoimmune diseases. These claims, along with other complex factors, including numerous lawsuits, prompted the food and Drug Administration to call a moratorium on these devices in 1992 until manufactures could prove their safety. Through the subsequent years, many large scale studies involving tens of thousands of women conducted in multiple locations around the world could not find a link between silicone gel-filled implants and any systemic diseases. The Adjunct study conducted in this country involving over ninety thousand women produced valuable data that supported the safety of these devices. In 2005 the Advisory panel of the FDA recommended that silicone gel-filled implants be approved for use and last November they became available again for primary breast augmentation.
Both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery are providing it’s member surgeons excellent guidelines in the best surgical techniques available to minimize complications and reduce the need for re-operation with silicone gel-filled devices.
In conclusion, Silicone gel-filled implants are an excellent alternative providing an improvement in both texture and durability over saline-filled devices for many women. For those interested in breast augmentation, consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon will help you determine if silicone gel-filled implants are right for you.
For more information, please call 310-275-0040.