The Star

Friday, 24/06/2011

Breast implants safe, but not for life

WASHINGTON: Women need to beware that while breast implants are safe, they are not meant to last a lifetime and could lead to problems later on, the top US drug agency said.

"Breast implants are not lifetime devices. The longer a woman has silicone gel-filled breast implants, the more likely she is to experience complications," the US Food and Drug Administration said in a report.

The FDA approved the sale of silicone breast implants in November 2006 for women age 22 and above.

But in updated safety guidelines, it warned that one in five women who have had breast implants to increase their cup-size or for reconstruction, as many as one in two will require removal 10 years after implantation," the report said.

Most complications occur from hardening of the breast tissue around the implant, from a rupturing of the implant, or "wrinkling, asymmetry, scarring, pain and infection," the FDA said.