Naples Florida Weekly
Loading...

GUEST COMMENTARY

Breast implant safety, aesthetics in plastic surgery



In the past several days, my office has received multiple phone calls from concerned women with breast implants in response to recent media coverage regarding breast implant safety. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I feel it is imperative that breast implant patients be provided with accurate and current information regarding these most recent developments.

On July 25, Allergan voluntarily recalled all its BIOCELL textured breast implants and tissue expanders as requested by the FDA. This was in response to growing evidence that a very rare lymphoma (ALCL) may be linked to the texturing on the surface of some of Allergan’s breast implants and tissue expanders. All recalled products have the BIOCELL textured surface, which is a unique surface only used by Allergan.

As I have explained to my own patients, it is important to understand the numbers. According to data from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, over 300,000 breast augmentations are performed in the U.S. alone each year. To date, as reported by the FDA, there have been 573 cases of BIA-ALCL worldwide. According to the current information available, a patient’s risk of BIA-ALCL is 1:3200. To put this in perspective, your lifetime risk of breast cancer is 1:8. These numbers do not by any means diminish the seriousness of a new cancer diagnosis, but rather are provided to illustrate the scope of BIA-ALCL to current and prospective breast implant patients alike.

Women should refer to the implant card given to them at the time of surgery, contact their surgeon or contact Allergan’s product support line (1-800-624-4261) to ascertain information about the implants they have in place. At this time the FDA is not recommending prophylactic removal of textured implants.

I recommend that if a woman notices any significant changes in her breasts, such as swelling, significant pain, new asymmetry or changes in the implants themselves, or are concerned, they should seek out a board-certified plastic surgeon for evaluation. With regards to ALCL specifically, the condition usually presents with a very obvious swelling of one or both breasts, typically, several years after implantation. Fortunately, this condition is often curable by removal of the connective tissue capsule that forms around the implant along with removal of the implant.

Finally, breast health is important. In alignment with the American Cancer Society’s recommendations for mammograms and self-breast exams, I recommend monthly self-breast exams and a yearly physician-administered formal breast exam, along with an annual mammogram coordinated with your primary care doctor. ¦

— Dr. Kiran Gill is a Naples- based, Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon with specialty fellowship training in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast and body.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *