Silicone Breast Implants

One of the most important decisions that an individual has to make when they obtain breast implants is the filler material that is used within the breast implant. A breast implant is composed of a silicone shell that contains some type of filler material. There are two predominant options for filler material in breast implants: saline or silicone. Although silicone breast implants are considered more ideal as they provide a more natural look and feel, they have faded in popularity since a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruling in 1992 that prohibited its approval.

Silicone breast implants are made with silicone, a family of chemical compounds that are made from silicon (the second most abundant element in the earth's crust). Silicones have been used in consumer products for over 50 years and can be found in numerous forms in a variety of products. Developed in the early 1960s by the plastic surgeons Cronin and Gerow, silicone breast implants began to be developed as a commercial product by 1962. The most popular of the various breast implant designs, silicone breast implants fell out of favor in 1992.

Although there was no conclusive evidence, many doctors found that the silicone gel used as the filler material in silicone breast implants may cause a variety of diseases. Concerns about rupture and gel bleed that would result in silicone circulating to other parts of the body led to the FDA imposing a moratorium on silicone gel breast implants in 1992. Although the FDA did not find any conclusive evidence that silicone breast implants led to higher occurrences of such illnesses as connective tissue disease, immunological disorders, neurological disorders, increased risk of cancer, and capsular contracture; they also did not find enough evidence to prove that silicone breast implants did not cause a higher incidence of these illnesses.

As a result, silicone breast implants are no longer available to the general public. However, there are still some ways that a person is able to obtain silicone breast implants. By taking part in a study investigating the effects of silicone, it is possible for a woman that is over the age of 18 to acquire silicone breast implants. For the sake of scientific research, the patient must agree to be monitored for 5 to 10 years for doctors to investigate the effects of the silicone gel on the patient's health.

If you are interested in taking part in a scientific study of silicone breast implants, you must meet these criteria:

• You must be a mastectomy patient that is undergoing reconstructive surgery.
• Due to complications caused by saline breast implants (ie. capsular contracture, rippling), you are undergoing a revision surgery.
• In addition to breast augmentation treatment, you are also having a mastopexy (breast lift) performed.
• You have a chest wall deformity such as pectus excavatum, pectus carinatum, or scoliosis.
• You have a history of treatment for breast cancer that has resulted in a loss of a breast.
• You are undergoing treatment to solve severe asymmetries of the breast.

However, patients that meet the following criteria are immediately excluded from being able to take part in a silicone breast implant study:

• Presence of infection is detected in your body.
• You are currently pregnant or are nursing.
• You have been diagnosed with lupus or scleroderma.
• A disease that impairs wound healing, such as uncontrolled diabetes currently affects you.