Breast implants, need long-lasting care.

Internet and feminine magazines are full with seductive advertisements for breast implants (breast augmentations) but the experts have different opinion regarding how long the implants last as well as the possible dangers.

The breast implants that are today in the centre of world danger for the health, emanate from the French company of implants Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), while it appears they have a extraordinarily high rate of rupture, this danger, even if it is usually low, considers all implants.

Breast implants that were presented in the market at the beginning of 1960 were developed by two plastic surgeons in Texas, in collaboration with the specialised company of silicone Dow Corning Corporation.

The first woman that acquired breast implants from silicone was in 1962 in the United States. From then, between 5 and 10 million women in the world, including roughly 1.500.000 with 2.500.000 in the United States, were submitted for surgical operation for breast implants.

Although silicone implants offer more natural aspect, because they appear to look like real breasts, they are still concerns regarding their safety.

Silicone or Saline (Sterile salt water) implants

In 1992, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided on the withdrawal of silicone implants from the domestic market, because their safety had not been determined completely.

However, in the USA the silicone implants returned in 2006, after approval of FDA of implants that are sold by Allergan and Johnson & Johnson (Mentor) with the condition that the companies will follow a sample from 40.000 women for 10 years in order to examine all safety matters.

In Britain, breast augmentation is the most frequent cosmetic surgery in women, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This operation is also exceptionally popular in Latin America.

In Brazil, roughly 200.000 to 300.000 operations of breast implants are realised each year, according to the Brazilian Plastic Surgery Company, many types of implants are available, including those that are manufactured by natural webs that are taken from other parts of the body.

This type of surgical operation is more usual in patients with breast cancer, which is submitted in re-establishment of breast after mastectomy. The most common implants that are used in cosmetic surgery are Silicone or Saline and they are placed under the breast web in order to strengthen the size and its form.

The implants usually are imported via a small section under the breast, but can also be placed under the armpit or round the nipple. The operations are performed with general anesthesia and lasts 1-2 hours.

No guarantee for a life-time

The experts warn that breast implants need long-lasting care. “The breast implants do not last for a lifetime, it is likely that they need to be replaced at some time in the future”, says the British Company of Information on their website.

It also reports that the modern implants are likely to last from 20 until 25 years, roughly 10 years moreover from the older implants that were developed in the early 1950s also 1970s.

In certain countries where the implants are very popular between young women, eg. in Venezuela it is ordinary for the parents to give a surgical operation for breast implants in their teenage girls as gifts, this means that a woman will go one time, potentially and two times during her life for a breast operation.

However, considerably low prices, can offer a surface surgical operation as well as a follow-up test, say the experts, and this is something that the patients should be careful of.

Our personal experience says that from 1998 until today we did not need to change any implants due to deterioration.

More for implants safety in our specialised web site: www.kapositas.com