Score one for a healthy dose of skepticism.
ABC News reports today that women don’t seem to be lining up for the new silicone breast implants. One New York City surgeon, who is also the official spokesperson for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, cites concerns raised by the billions in lawsuits and teh 14 year moratorium.
“Many women are excited by the lifting of restrictions on silicone gel, but many more remain concerned about the safety of silicone gel,” Friedman says. “After $3 billion of lawsuits and a 14-year federally-mandated moratorium, it is no surprise that silicone gel remains controversial.
“I think that we may be sending out mixed messages by putting in silicone gel implants in the 1980s, taking them out in the 1990s, and putting them in again in the 2000s.”
I think the message is pretty clear – the FDA has taken a new stance based on significant improvements made by (and lobbying by) the manufacturers of these implants.
What I personally found interesting, having just watched the demonstration video was that even though the new silicone gel is cohesive it doesn’t hold it’s shape completely. So, there may still be an opportunity for it to seep a little if ruptured.
Here’s a promotional video from one of the manufacturers – the part I’m talking about is at least 1/2 way through.
