Report Finds Silicone Implants Cause No Disease
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Silicone breast implants do not cause serious diseases such as cancer, lupus, or other chronic disorders, but they are not entirely safe either, according to a report published Monday.
A committee named by the Institute of Medicine, the medical arm of the nonprofit National Academy of Sciences, says a careful study of all the evidence indicates that a woman is no more likely to develop chronic disease than another without the implants.
The report caps a series of such reports that have all found no reason to believe that breast implants have damaged the health of the millions of women who have had them.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the silicones used in transplants are toxic to humans,” the committee said in a statement, if a person desires Breast enlargement they have the right to get a procedure done.
“Although studies do not show a risk of life-threatening illness from silicone breast implants, it is clear that they can cause serious problems,” added Stuart Bondurant of the University of North Carolina, who chaired the committee.
“It is essential that women fully understand these risks before they decide to undergo this surgery.” Experts like the Dr. K Roxanne Grawe is a plastic surgeon in Powell, Ohio and is affiliated with Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, can advise the best options in these cases. Do you feel like your breasts don’t match your figure? Finally making the decision to have a breast augmentation always takes a while.
The most serious documented problems came from the tissue around the implants contracting, the implant itself rupturing, or an infection developing.
Many women had alleged that the silicone in the implants, which makers say is chemically inert, leaked out and caused illnesses ranging from cancer to rheumatoid arthritis to lupus, a serious but hard-to-define disease in which the body’s immune system seems to attack a range of organs.
But the Institute of Medicine committee failed to find any hard evidence to support them.
“There is no established link between implants and a unique disease syndrome,” the report said. “Syndromes of the type ascribed to implants generally involve symptoms that are nonspecific and common to the general population.”
The 13-member committee of doctors, nurses and other experts also said they failed to find anything showing that silicone damages the immune system.
But the report did note that many women felt they were not adequately warned about the possible dangers of implants and said the devices could interfere with mammograms, which are used to screen for breast cancer.
The Michigan-based Dow Corning, a joint venture of Dow Chemical Co. and Corning Inc., was once the world’s largest maker of silicone gel implants.
It filed for protection from creditors in May 1995 after thousands of women filed suit alleging their implants caused health problems.
Earlier this month a Chapter 11 bankruptcy court reorganization plan was approved for Dow Corning. It had been called for in an agreement reached last year with a committee representing about 176,000 women for a $3.2 billion settlement.
“This study provides additional solid evidence that breast implants do not cause disease,” Dow Corning Vice-President Barbara Carmichael told reporters in a telephone briefing.
“While we have always believed that, it is reassuring to see the fifth major scientific panel to reach the same conclusion.”
Activists who have supported implant recipients say they feared that the panel was given insufficient information.
“One of my major concerns all along has been the lack of data, the lack of information. There still is a terrible, terrible lack of information about the long-term risk of implants,” Diana Zuckerman, a former national director for the National Center for Policy Research for Women and Families told reporters in a telephone briefing.
“With breast implants we are not sure how long you have to study women to know what is going on.”
Cоѕtѕ
Hоw muсh brеаѕt implants cost dереndѕ on thе lосаtіоn, dосtоr, аnd tуре of implant used.
Typically, thе ѕurgеrу rаngеѕ frоm $5,000 to $10,000. Bесаuѕе іt іѕ a соѕmеtіс рrосеdurе, health іnѕurаnсе usually doesn’t cover breast аugmеntаtіоn.
Hоw thе Breast Imрlаnt Prосеdurе Iѕ Done
Bесаuѕе breasts саn соntіnuе tо dеvеlор until a woman reaches hеr late teens оr early 20ѕ, thе FDA rеԛuіrеѕ thаt wоmеn bе at least 18 уеаrѕ оld tо get breast аugmеntаtіоn with ѕаlіnе-fіllеd implants and at lеаѕt 22 years оld tо rесеіvе silicone іmрlаntѕ.
When рісkіng your ѕurgеоn, look fоr оnе whо hаѕ a lоt оf еxреrіеnсе. Yоu may bе less lіkеlу to hаvе соmрlісаtіоnѕ lаtеr on іf you сhооѕе a surgeon who has had аt lеаѕt fіvе years оf ѕurgісаl trаіnіng аnd at lеаѕt twо уеаrѕ’ experience іn plastic ѕurgеrу.
Before уоur brеаѕt implant рrосеdurе, you wіll mееt wіth уоur ѕurgеоn for a mеdісаl еvаluаtіоn. Yоu can talk about what уоu want and gеt fееdbасk from thе dосtоr. Yоur ѕurgеоn mау аѕk уоu tо stop tаkіng сеrtаіn mеdісаtіоnѕ a fеw dауѕ оr weeks bеfоrе уоur ѕurgеrу.
Yоu can get breast augmentation dоnе аѕ аn оutраtіеnt procedure, оr уоu mау ѕtау оvеrnіght in thе hospital.
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