Breast augmentation, or augmentation mammaplasty, is a type of surgery that typically involves using implants or fat transfers to change the look of a patient’s breasts.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery’s Plastic Surgery Statistics Report, just under 102,000 Americans had breast reconstructive surgery in 2018. This category includes implants, such as silicone and saline, with over 13,200 people that had implants alone.
In many cases, breast implants do not last an entire lifetime, and often require regular examinations or additional surgeries to ensure the safest results.
There are a number of different implant manufacturers in the world, including GC Aesthetics, CEREPLAS, and Allergan.
According to the FDA, breast implants usually fall into one of two categories:
These are implants that are typically filled with saltwater, otherwise known as saline, solution and come in a variety of different sizes and textures. These implants can either come pre-filled or can be filled during the course of an operation. These are approved for patients 18 years and older.
These are implants that are filled with a silicone gel, enveloped in a silicone outer shell. Like saline, silicone implants can come in a variety of textures and sizes as well. These are approved for patients 22 and older.
In June 2019, Allergan was asked by the FDA to recall all of its BIOCELL textured breast implants, due to data that showed a link between these implant types and breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, otherwise known as BIA-ALCL.
Breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a cancer that often develops around breast implants, and can occur in both saline and silicone implants.
If caught early, it’s often treatable, and typically occurs with a number of symptoms, which can include:
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