breastImlantInfo.org - if you're having problems

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BreastImplantInfo.org

If You're Having Problems

Are you having problems that might be related to your breast

implants? Sometimes it's hard to know. Here are some common

complications.

Capsular Contracture: Almost every woman with breast implants has

scar tissue surrounding her implants. This scar capsule doesn't

show -- it's inside her breast, and is her body's natural way of

protecting her from a foreign object. Sometimes, however, that

capsule is too tight for the implant. Capsular contracture is when

the capsule is too tight and feels like it is squeezing the implant.

• It can happen with either saline or silicone gel breast implants

• It can be slightly uncomfortable or very painful

• It can change the shape of your breast, or make it look round and

unnatural

• You may need surgery to fix it

• Once it is surgically fixed, it is likely to happen again

Symptoms such as: Could mean:

pain in the breast, breasts look different from each other, breast

feels firm or very hard, breasts look like round balls

capsular contracture

This condition will not usually get better by itself. If it is very

painful or hard, it will require surgery to remove the scar tissue

capsule and perhaps the implant. Some of your own breast tissue

might get mixed in with the capsule, and you might lose some of your

natural breast. Many insurance companies will pay to have your

implant removed if a woman has Baker Grade III or IV contracture,

which are the most severe types, because when implants are that hard

they are especially likely to interfere with mammography and the

detection of breast cancer.

Rupture: The implant is covered with a silicone envelope, which can

tear or break. A rupture can be caused by a defect in the implant,

daily stresses on the implant, an accident or other trauma, an

accidental cut during implant surgery or biopsy, or the aging of the

implant.

• Ruptured saline implants usually deflate quickly.

• A silicone gel leak or rupture can go unnoticed, even for a period

of years.

Symptoms may include: Could mean:

decreased breast size, uneven size of breasts, pain or tenderness,

tingling, swelling, numbness, burning, changes in sensation, lumps

silicone gel-filled implant rupture

chest pain, breast rash, change in size of breast

saline implant rupture

The older implants are, the more likely they are to break or leak.

Although implants can rupture at any time, the FDA found that most

rupture by the time they are 10 years old.

Aside from surgery, the best way to confirm a rupture is with an

MRI, or perhaps an ultrasound. These methods require a trained eye

to see a leak or rupture. A mammogram is not accurate enough to find

a rupture or leak.

Most insurance companies will not pay to have a ruptured implant

removed, especially if the implants were for augmentation.

Reconstruction patients have an easier time obtaining insurance

coverage for removal of implants, but will need to prove the implant

is ruptured, with an MRI or other test.

Most experts agree that ruptured implants should be removed as soon

as possible, especially if it is a silicone gel implant. Silicone

gel can leak from the implant into healthy breast tissue and go

other parts of your body, such as the lungs and lymph nodes, where

it could be impossible to remove.

Some women with leaking silicone breast implants have had to have

all their own breast tissue removed because the silicone moved

throughout their breast. The result is a mastectomy, not because of

cancer but because of silicone.

Many doctors believe that silicone is harmless, and may tell women

with ruptured implants that they do not need to have them removed.

However, it has been conclusively proven that silicone gel from a

broken implant can leak out and cause permanent damage to healthy

breast tissue or skin. In addition, the FDA found that women with

leaking silicone implants are more likely to report several serious,

debilitating illnesses, compared to women whose implants have not

broken.

For more information or personal stories, click here.

For scientific research on leaking implants, click here.

Infection: As with any surgery, infections can happen. Most

infections appear shortly after surgery, within a few days or weeks.

The most serious infections can cause toxic shock syndrome and can

be fatal or result in gangrene. If the infection is very serious,

the implant will need to be removed to treat it, and can be replaced

after the infection has cleared up.

All implants, including breast implants, attract bacteria.

If a saline implant is no longer sterile, it might cause an

infection when it breaks. Bacteria, mold, and fungus can grow inside

saline implants.

Symptoms may include: Could mean:

pain, redness, or fever Infection

Disease and Serious illness:

Everyone agrees that implants can cause local complications, such as

those listed above. There is much more controversy about whether it

can cause diseases or disorders. Some women can have implants for

many years and never have any problems, but as the years go by, many

women with implants become seriously ill. Common symptoms include

joint pain or stiffness, memory problems, trouble concentrating,

fatigue, flu-like symptoms that don't go away, or pain throughout

the body (fibromyalgia). Auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid

arthritis, lupus, and scleroderma are also problems among women with

implants. Are these symptoms caused by implants, are women who are

susceptible to these illnesses more likely to get them if they have

breast implants, or would these women have become ill even if they

didn't have implants?

Research has not yet answered those questions. Women with implants

are more likely to have these diseases and symptoms in some studies,

but not others. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) summarized 17

epidemiological studies that attempted to answer this question, but

unfortunately, most of the studies included relatively small numbers

of women who had implants for very short periods of time. Longer-

term studies conducted after the IOM report have found some risk of

diseases among women with implants. That is why the IOM study is not

proof of implant safety. For more information on the IOM study,

please see http://www.breastimplantinfo.org/what_know/iom_crit.html.

What studies suggest that implants cause diseases? A study by FDA

scientists found that women with leaking silicone gel implants were

more likely to develop fibromyalgia and several other painful

diseases than women with implants that were not leaking. This study

is described in more detail at

http://www.breastimplantinfo.org/what_know/fda2001.html.

In the only study of women with rheumatology symptoms who had their

implants removed, doctors found that 97% of women with pain and

other rheumatology symptoms felt better after their breast implants

were removed and not replaced. Many symptoms lessened or disappeared

over the next few months. In contrast, 96% of the women who did not

have their implants removed became even more ill. This study was

conducted by a physician (Dr. Noreen Aziz) at the University of

South Florida Colleges of Medicine and Public Health, who now works

for the National Cancer Institute.

Studies published in 2001 by other scientists at the National Cancer

Institute raised questions about the long-term safety of breast

implants. Unfortunately, many doctors are not aware of these recent

studies. One study found that women who had breast implants for at

least eight years were twice as likely to die from brain cancer,

three times as likely to die from lung cancer or other respiratory

diseases, and four times as likely to commit suicide, compared to

other plastic surgery patients. A second study found that women with

breast implants for at least eight years were 21% more likely to be

diagnosed with cancer compared to other women their age.

More large, long-term, studies of women who have had implants for 10

years or more need to be conducted in order to find out if these

risks of cancer or death increase or decrease when women are studied

for longer periods of time.

These are some of the diseases that need to be carefully studied

among women with implants, to see if women with implants are at

greater risk:

Symptoms may include: Could mean:

dry mouth, dry eyes, persistent cough Sjogren's syndrome

joint discomfort, pain, stiffness, swelling Rheumatoid arthritis

chronic fatigue Chronic fatigue syndrome

difficulty swallowing or breathing esophogeal immotility

memory impairment neurological impairment

muscle weakness, walking problems, tremor, muscle spasm, slowed

ability to think, poor memory MS – Multiple Sclerosis*

muscle pain, stiffness, unusual fatigue fibromyalgia

strong allergic reactions chemical sensitivity

white or blue fingers and/or toes in the cold Raynaud's syndrome

excessive hair loss an autoimmune response

hardening of skin Scleroderma

achy or swollen joints, extreme fatigue, skin rashes, anemia,

sensitivity to sunlight, kidney involvement, fever Lupus

* Women with implants have been known to experience MS-like symptoms

and have been misdiagnosed as having the disease when they do not.

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