Orange County Silicone Breast Implant Surgery

Today I was asked by a patient if silicone breast implants are really safe.  This, of course, came from restrictions of silicone implants by the FDA  starting in 1990 that lasted for 15 years.  There was concern at that time that silicone might cause autoimmune diseases (like rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and lupus) or increase breast cancer.  At the time I felt fairly comfortable that silicone implants were fine but we had to wait for the FDA to do it’s research.  Silicone implants became the most studied medical device in the history of the FDA.  The best reports came from large studies comparing women without implants and women who had silicone implants for many years.  They found that there was no difference in the two groups.  The only area where there was some difference is  some studies showed breast cancer was actually less in the patients with the implants!!!  The only explanation for this is that women who get implants usually have less breast tissue. 

I do use both silicone and saline implants (saline implants are filled with medical salt water) but I do prefer the silicone.  They have a more natural feel and the chance of breakage (usually from trauma like a car accident) is less(1% a year for saline vs. 0.3% for silicone.  Unfortunately the silicone implants are a little more expensive.

Dr. Kemsley