A guidance issued by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons warns the estimated 50,000 British women with faulty Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) breast implants to have their implants checked for rupture within the next six months and have them both removed if rupture is discovered in even one breast implant.
The recalled PIP implants were found by the French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons to contain an untested, unapproved silicone gel that led to abnormally high rupture rates. As a result, the implants were recalled, but now thousands of women may need to consider undergoing revision breast surgery.
Although ruptures sometimes do occur in the safe, FDA-approved silicone breast implants used for breast enlargement in the U.S., there is usually no immediate health risk, so women have a choice about when and how to address implant malfunction.
Most women choose a breast augmentation revision to replace their implants, while others choose to undergo breast explant surgery, or breast implant removal, but do not have their ruptured implants replaced.
When breast implants are removed and a breast augmentation revision is not performed, a breast lift may be performed to remove skin stretched by the breast implants. Occasionally, women may even choose not to seek corrective breast surgery if their ruptured breast implants do not cause health problems or breast deformity.
Ruptures are easy to detect in saline breast implants, as the implants deflate and noticeably lose volume, while an MRI is necessary in order to detect a rupture in silicone breast implants.
If you think one or both of your breast implants have ruptured, don’t panic. Consult an experienced female breast revision surgeon who can show you before and after photos of satisfied patients and present you with all available options for breast surgery revision.