Saturday, March 19, 2011

Silicone Gel Implants � A Brief History

Jack Pierce Silicone Gel Filled Prosthetic Demonstration by Lee Joyner

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Silicone Gel Implants – A Brief History

Silicone gel implants are currently the most popular implants used in American breast augmentation surgeries. They were actually the first to be widely accepted by the medical community in the early 1960s, followed shortly by saline implants. Silicone and saline are the two implants available on the American market, but silicone gel is number one in popularity.

The silicone implant is encased in a silicone shell and filled with silicone gel. They were first invented by two plastic surgeons, Cronin and Gerow, who made them commercially available in 1962. They got their first taste of controversy after a completed study on rats showed the silicone gel might be carcinogenic. The Committee on Carcinogenicity, however, dismissed the case because it only pertained to the tested animals. Silicone gel implants, therefore, were in the clear.

Despite the fact that saline implants were invented to be safer than the silicone implants, the silicone implant was still the most popular until the late 1980s. A sudden boom hit the cosmetic surgery field then, and the number of breast implant surgeries skyrocketed. However, so did the number of horror stories from silicone gel complications. In 1992, the FDA banned the silicone gel implants in order to run clinical trials to overcome the medical safety issues.

The FDA requested technical data from the manufacturers and early results were not good. A number of complications propelled even more outcries. The issue of silicone gel leakage was controlled when the outer shell was changed because the original polyurethane foam showed indications of degradation during the studies. The FDA clinical trials took fourteen long years, during which the silicone gel implants were under intense scrutiny. In the end, however, the FDA gave its stamp of approval in 2006, making the silicone gel implants the most studied and scrutinized medical device in American history.

Although no surgery is without risk, silicone implants have managed to establish a safe reputation. The decades of research gathered from women who have them has provided enough historical data to maintain their credibility. American women are finally able to augment their breasts with these implants for cosmetic enhancement. However, the FDA still recommends all women have an MRI at the third anniversary of their surgery, and every two years after that. The reason why is that if a leakage does occur, it is difficult to spot it without an MRI.

Most people feel silicone gel implants best emulate real breasts. They have a firmer look and more of a jiggle movement than saline implants do. They also do not flatten out as much as saline does when a woman lies on her back.

If you would like to learn more about silicone gel implants, you should perform your own research on the internet and compile a list of questions. Then take your questions to an expert on the subject which would be a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in breast augmentation. Most surgeons do not even charge you for the first consultation. They are also enthusiastic about educating you on the procedure because they know that a patient with realistic expectations is a happy patient.

Do not interpret the content of this article as medical advice. A person should only take medical advice from a licensed physician.

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