Re: Fw: MSNBC: Seeking better breast implants

[Guest guest]

Sheesh, give me a break. I have to laugh in derision. How many times have we heard that they're finally coming out with THE perfect implant? They are so full of optimism when in reality they are just full of crap.

"I think we are getting closer to developing the perfect implant, in terms> of durability, biocompatibility and natural shape," says Dr. Mark Jewell,

I'm not going to hold my breath, that is for sure. My only question....if they are getting closer to developing the perfect implant, what in God's name are they putting in women now? (Obviously, junk!)

Peering into his crystal ball, Rohrich forecasted what else may be on the distant horizon, including grow-your-own breast implants.>> "We may one day make our own implants from our own fat where surgeons> harvest fat via liposuction and stimulate it to grow," Rohrich says, "so it will be natural but to grow that amount of fat and grow it consistently may be years and years away."

I'm definitely not holding my breath on this one. Sounds nice, but I'll be dead by then....

(and on my way to glory! Amen!)

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: ~*Patty*~

Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 8:43 PM

Subject: Fw: MSNBC: Seeking better breast implants

----- Original Message -----From: "ilena rose" <ilena2000@...><dz@...>Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 6:59 PMSubject: MSNBC: Seeking better breast implants> (see photos on page)>> Seeking better breast implants> Doctors experiment with 'gummy bear'> fillers, titanium coatings> Cohesive silicone gel implants, such as this one made by McGhan, adivision> of Inamed, are designed to avoid leaks.> By Mann> MSNBC contributor>> http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3972625/>> Updated: 6:50 p.m. ET Feb. 11, 2004Many women hoping for a more> natural-looking alternative to saline breast implants were disappointed by> the Food and Drug Administration's recent decision to maintain the ban on> silicone-gel-filled implants. But there may be other options on the market> one day, as doctors continue their quest to find better ways to boost a> woman's bosom.>> advertisement>>> Costa Rica>> Select your Education>> Select your Job>>> Among the most promising developments, they say, are cohesive siliconegel,> leak-resistant implants with the consistency of a gummy bear and a newtype> of implant shell coating that may be less likely to cause inflammation and> scarring in the surrounding breast tissue.>> "I think we are getting closer to developing the perfect implant, in terms> of durability, biocompatibility and natural shape," says Dr. Mark Jewell,a> plastic surgeon in Eugene, Ore., and vice president of the AmericanSociety> for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.>> Safety concerns linking ruptures of the silicone gel implants toautoimmune> problems in some women caused the FDA to ban the sale of the implants in> 1992, except for use in clinical trials and by women undergoing breast> reconstruction. While the implants were somewhat exonerated by anInstitute> of Medicine report saying they do not up the risk of autoimmune disease,the> new FDA ban calls for more study before they can be put back on themarket.>> 'I think we are getting closer to developing the perfect implant, in terms> of durability, biocompatibility and natural shape.'>>> - Dr. Mark Jewell> American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery>>> Both saline- and silicone-filled implants have a silicone shell. But ifthe> saline implants leak, deflate or rupture, which they often do, they would> release only salt water -- not silicone -- into the body. The downside of> the saline implants, though, is that they don't look and feel as naturalas> the others.>> "Some people are concerned about the safety of silicone gel and manypeople> are disappointed about the performance of saline implants, notably thatthey> are associated with more ripples, have a more liquid feel and don't lookas> natural as the silicone implants," says Dr. Grant s, medicaldirector> of Marina Plastic Surgery Associates, with locations in Marina Del Rey and> Palos Verdes, Calif.>> 'Gummies'> Enter cohesive gel implants, which are currently on the market in Europeand> Brazil, and now being studied in the United States.>> "The 'gummy bear' implants have the positive attributes of the siliconegel,> but lack the concerns of gel migration," says s, who is one of 15U.S.> doctors participating in a study of Silimed cohesive gel implants.>> Dr. P. , Jr., agrees. "The gel doesn't migrate, so there are> potential safety benefits because if the shell should fail, the gel willnot> go anywhere -- it would just stay in one place," says , an associate> professor of plastic surgery at the University of Texas SouthwesternMedical> Center in Dallas.>> And unlike saline implants, s notes, "cohesive gel implants feellike> breast tissue, not a water balloon.">> So far, he adds, the data and patient response are "overwhelmingly> positive.">> INTERACTIVE>>> . Key events in the quest for a bigger bust line.>>>> Last October, 42-year-old Charlie Sheridan, who works in s' office,> traded in her saline implants for a pair of cohesive gel implants as partof> the clinical trial.>> "I am sporting a pair of gummies," Sheridan says. "They have the look and> feel of silicone, but don't have the hardness or lack of naturalness of> saline and there is no worry of deflation," she says. One of her saline> implants did, in fact, deflate which is why she opted for the newer model.>> The companies Inamed and Mentor also are conducting studies of their> versions of the cohesive gel implants.>> Experts in the field say it could be at least three to five years beforeany> such product is on the U.S. market, provided the FDA approves one.>> But not all plastic surgeons are completely sold on these new implants.>> "The problem is density," says Dr. Lawrence , a New York City plastic> surgeon. "They may have value in reconstructive procedures because youneed> density and mass, but for normal women, they are too dense," he says.>> "Cohesive gel is a refinement of the current silicone implant, but it's> harder than usual silicone gel, so it's not the total answer," agrees Dr.> Rod J. Rohrich, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and> the chairman of the department of plastic surgery at the University ofTexas> Southwestern Medical Center.>> Another product in the pipeline, he notes, is an implant filler made witha> substance called polyethylene glycol.>> "It contains a patented blend of polyethylene glycol and saline andresults> in an implant that has the look and feel of silicone," says Rohrich, who> helped develop the substance.>> Hopes for indestructible implants> Titanium-coated breast implants may also be an option in the future. The> product of a partnership between Poly Implants Prostheses, a Frenchcompany> specializing in implants, and GfE, a German aerospace company, Tibreeze> implants are coated with a thin layer of titanium and filled with silicone> gel.>> "It's not like you dip it in molten titanium, it's a thin coating thatbonds> to the silicone," Jewell explains.>>> Wong / Getty Images> During a hearing last October of an FDA advisory panel considering the> return of silicone gel implants, Hiemstra and Beth Nichols of the> National Center for Policy Research for Women & Families holdpost-surgical> photos of breasts with removed silicone implants.> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------->> "Titanium is a more biocompatible metal than even stainless steel," hesays,> meaning that it is less likely to cause a toxic or otherwise injurious> reactions in the body.>> Researchers are hopeful that by coating the shell, the implant will bemore> resistant to infection, stronger and will produce less scarring andcapsular> contracture, a condition that occurs when scar tissue forms around the> implant and results in painful stiffness of the breast and possibleleakage> of the substance inside the implant.>> So far, Jewell says, three women have received the implants as part of a> clinical trial in Germany that began last year.>> "We don't know yet if it will have a durability advantage," he adds.>> Lunch-time breast lifts?> Women can get lunch-time injections of Botox and various facial fillers,and> now researchers in Sweden may have found a way to boost a woman's breast> size during the lunch hour as well.>> In the near future, Rohrich says, injections of hyaluronic acid, acompound> used to fill fine lines and wrinkles, could be used to do temporary breast> enhancement.>> "It is a non-surgical procedure and can be used to build up breast tissue> and enhance the breast for a couple of years," he says.>> Currently the injections are being performed as part of pilot studies in> Sweden by the manufacturer, Q-Med. Enhancements, however, are notpermanent> and eventually the hyaluronic acid will be re-absorbed into the body.>> Peering into his crystal ball, Rohrich forecasted what else may be on the> distant horizon, including grow-your-own breast implants.>> "We may one day make our own implants from our own fat where surgeons> harvest fat via liposuction and stimulate it to grow," Rohrich says, "soit> will be natural but to grow that amount of fat and grow it consistentlymay> be years and years away.">> Mann is a health writer based in New York City.