Fact or Myth: Silicone Causes Major Disease

For years it has been suggested that silicone breast implants are unsafe because in the years following their implantation, women begin seeing a rash of unexplainable medical ailments including fibromyalgia, arthritis, compromised immune systems or elevated antibodies, and other rheumatic diseases. Even the FDA appeared to hedge it bets when it released statements that said silicone breast implants “may” increase the risk of certain issues, but stopping short of making them illegal for use, or calling them hazardous and dangerous products.

Studies have repeatedly failed to show that any condition linked to silicone breasts implants occur more in women who have had silicone breast augmentation than women who have had any other form of cosmetic surgery. Similarly, the causes, and even effective treatment of fibromyalgia are largely unknown, and where there may be a large number of women who have had silicone implants who also suffer the debilitating effects of this disease, there are an even greater number of women with the disease who have not had breast implants.

Some have gone so far as to group all medical complications which arise in patients who have also had silicone breast implants as symptoms of a larger disorder they call “silicone implant disease” and to sue implant manufacturers for damages. And yet, after almost a century of implantation surgeries, plastic surgeons stand by the product and its safety.

The truth is there is no conclusive evidence one way or the other. So, Fact or Myth all depends on the expert testimony you choose to believe. There are scientific studies whose finding point to their safety, and others which demonstrate their significant risks. In the end it is something you must weigh in the balances of risk and benefit. If you are seriously concerned by the health threat that silicone implants may pose, look more closely into the saline option.