Q: Are Implants Safe?Some studies released in the 1990s raised questions about the links between silicone breast implants and systemic health problems. To date, those links have not been conclusively established or dismissed because almost no research has been done on the health effects of saline and silicone breast implants that have been in the body beyond five years. Though many researchers believe the long-term health risks are still unknown, local complications from implant surgery are recognized and well documented. Studies have shown that within the first three years of getting implants for the first time, almost half of the women experience one local complication such as pain, infection, hardening or the need for additional surgery. This number soars to about 75 percent among breast cancer patients. An FDA team reported in 2001 that women with ruptured silicone implants are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia and other illnesses. A 2001 National Institutes of Health study shows a 21 percent overall increase in cancers for women with silicone breast implants compared to the general population, and the incidence of leukemia and stomach, cervical, vulvar and brain cancers twice as high for women with implants. | |
