Q: Are Breast Implants Approved by the FDA?

In November 2006, after a 14-year ban on their sale due to safety concerns, FDA approved silicone breast implants. Over that time period, no convincing evidence emerged to prove conclusively that silicone implants were safe. But neither were they proved harmful, which cleared the way for their return to the market.
At the time of approval, […]


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 […]


Q: How Much Do Breast Implants Cost?

Women considering implant surgery must look at costs beyond the initial procedure.
The price of breast augmentation surgery costs about $6,000. When the FDA approved silicone gel breast implants in November 2006, it stated that women with these implants should have a breast MRI three years after getting silicone implants and every two years after that. […]


Q: How Long Will My Implants Last?

Implants do not last a lifetime and may not even last as long as a new car.
One study found that nearly half of silicone implants fail within ten years and three-quarters of silicone implants rupture by twenty years. An FDA study of silicone implants found that most women had at least one broken implant […]


Q: Are Saline Implants Safer than Silicone Implants?

Saline implants carry many of the same risks as silicone implants, so it is impossible to judge which is safer. The Food and Drug Administration warns that, “like their silicone counterparts, saline breast implants can rupture, ripple, harden, change shape and shift position. They can also cause infection, pain and loss of feeling in the […]


Q: What Are Some Breast Implant Complications?

There is widespread agreement that local complications are the greatest concern in breast implant surgery because they are common. In fact, the FDA warns prospective implant patients: “Either because of rupture or other complications, you will probably need to have the implants removed,” and “you are likely to need additional doctor visits, re-operations, or removals […]


Q: Why Does My Doctor Seem to Downplay the Risks of Breast Augmentation?

We trust our doctors to stay on top of the latest developments in medicine. It’s hard, however, to expect them to go beyond the body of research that’s readily available, and what is now available does not prove that implants pose an unacceptably high risk to a woman’s health. The available research is faulty in […]


Q: What Are the Potential Problems Related to the Surgery?

Breast augmentation is surgery, and carries the same risks associated with any surgery. According to the FDA, they would include the possibility of:

Hematoma – collection of blood that may cause swelling, pain and bruising and may require additional surgery to drain
Hemorrhage – abnormal bleeding
Thrombosis – abnormal clotting
Skin necrosis – skin tissue death from insufficient blood […]


Q: Will I Be Able to Breastfeed?

Probably yes, but chances are good that you will experience complications.
One study found that up to 64 percent of the implanted women cannot produce enough milk, compared to 7 percent of women without implants. Another study of new mothers with saline implants found that 39 percent have problems breast-feeding. The ability to breastfeed after […]


Q: Do Breast Implants Interfere with Mammography?

When an implant is inserted into a breast, it significantly obscures breast tissue and compromises the ability of mammography to detect tumors. Specially trained technicians are needed to perform mammograms on women with implants, and additional views must be taken (adding to the cost and increasing the woman’s exposure to radiation). Even so, approximately 30 […]


Q: Are There Special Risks for Cancer Patients?

Breast implants are regularly offered as part of cancer treatment. In many cases, they are inserted so seamlessly into the surgery-reconstruction-recovery process that the patient – weakened, dispirited and perhaps fighting for her life – may not realize that receiving implants is a choice.
While the long-term health risks of implants in cancer survivors have […]


Q: Where Can I Get More Information?

Please visit the links in our Helpful Resources section. You should also ask your physician for the manufacturers’ informed consent documents and the FDA consumer brochure.
The FDA Breast Implant Consumer Handbook can be obtained by calling 1-888-INFO-FDA or through the FDA website.