Breast Implants – Back To Silicone
Tuesday, June 5, 2007 by Web Mistress
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation is the third most commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the United States. In 2005, 291,000 breast augmentation procedures were performed.
Breast implants are usually incorrectly associated with silicone-filled sacs, but for the last 14 years this type of implant has been banned because it was believed that they could trigger connective tissue diseases and other problems. In 1992 the Food and Drug Administration reclassified the devices as experimental and restricted silicone gel-filled breast implants to clinical trials, primarily for women needing reconstruction because of mastectomy (the removal of a breast) or breast deformity, or for women with implants that need to be replaced.
But now, silicone gel implants are back in action with the New Scientist reporting that the ban on these prostheses has been lifted. On 17th of November the Food and Drug Administration re-approved the marketing of the devices. Leroy Young, a plastic surgeon in St Louis, Missouri says that the approval is ‘overdue’ as the science shows that the issues behind the ban are not a problem.
As you would assume though, there are conditions to this new grant. Each firm distributing silicone gel breast implants must follow 40,000 women who go under the knife for the next 10 years. They must pick up on any associated problem, ranging from suicide to cancer or even the effects of breastfeeding and the women’s children. Other conditions which must be met include the tracking of every implant sold, the conducting of laboratory studies of implants that rupture and to make decisions on how to label them to better communicate any risks.
