Edit PIP implant treatment

<p>On inspecting the PIP manufacturing facility, based between Marseille and Nice in the South of France, the AFSSAPS found that breast implants made by the company since 2001 had been filled with a silicone gel with a composition different from that used to obtain their original European CE Mark approval, making this illegal.</p> <p>This discovery cast much concern over the safety of the products and the MHRA advised all U.K. patients fitted with the PIP implants to consult their implanting surgeon if they had any concerns, whilst the French authorities investigated further.</p> <p>One Cosmetic Surgeon that I spoke to said; “Anecdotal experience revealed a high rupture rate from surgeons and if you look on blog sites there are a lot of women who had problems with them, mostly relating to rupture and its consequences (i.e. capsule, asymmetry, lumps etc).”</p> <p>Recent updates from the French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (SOFCPRE) have now revealed that from 2005 onwards the company also dispensed with a protective barrier which normally surrounds an implant to offer strength and reduce the migration risk of the gel. In addition, it became clear to SOFCPRE, on contacting the actual gel manufacturer of the substitute silicone gel used by the implant manufacturers that there was a lack of clinical data in relation to its possible reaction with the human body, as the substance was intended for use in mattresses and they were unaware of its eventual use in breast implants!</p> <p>Despite proving unpopular with the majority of independent surgeons, who tended to prefer more expensive and better quality implant products which provided a lifetime guarantee against rupture for their patients, it has been estimated that roughly 50,000 women in the UK could have these PIP breast implants, as they were the product of choice for some clinics, particularly those larger cosmetic surgery chains where it was the bottom line which drove choice.</p> <p>"This situation is clearly not the fault of the surgeon, who acted in good faith - it would be similar to blaming a dealership for a faulty car."; concluded Nigel Mercer.</p> <p>A spokesperson for Clover Leaf  Products, the former distributor of PIP implants in the UK said on 23rd June; “All medical devices are regulated in the UK by the  MHRA who issued a device alert on the 31st March 2010. The action for surgeons on this alert was as follows: ‘Await further advice from the MHRA regarding clinical management of patients implanted with these devices’. To our knowledge, this is still the case today and we are awaiting further information.”</p> <p>Following delays from AFSSAPS who have stated that the results from their own tests are now expected in September, the UK’s MHRA  has decided to conduct its own toxicology tests into the gel contained within the PIP implants, which they state should be completed in mid-August.</p>

Selected: Text Block Text Block Full Width Image Banner Image Side By Side Images Left Aligned Image Right Aligned Image Quote Video

No Background Colour CR Purple Medium Purple Light Purple Dark Pink Light Pink Light Grey Dark Grey No Background Colour