Many women, especially those affected by breast cancer, look to breast implants to help their self-esteem. In 2018 alone, more than 400,000 women chose to get breast implants for either aesthetic or reconstructive reasons. Breast augmentation is the most popular form of cosmetic surgery. The breast implant industry has long faced issues with recalls and safety problems. There is notoriously poor regulatory oversight of the breast implant industry. Now, these issues have cropped up again, and there are breast implants that are putting women at risk.
Recalled Implants
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received several complaints in 2019 from recipients of breast implants that had developed breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. BIA-LCL is a rare cancer of the immune system. It is not breast cancer. The FDA investigated the complaints and found that women with Allergan Natrelle BIOCELL textured implant products were more than six times more likely to develop BIA-LCL than women with other breast implants. On July 24, 2019, the implants were recalled.
The Allergan textured implants were popular because the textured designed allowed them to stay in place better than smooth implants. However, it is this textured design that some researchers believe may be responsible for the cancer risks. Once the implants were recalled, they had to be surgically removed from women who had them. The women also required surgery to remove the cancerous cells caused by the implants.
Other Breast Implant Issues
In addition to cancer risk, some implants have tendencies to leak silicone or saline into the body. There is also a condition that some women develop called generically Breast Implant Illness. It is an autoimmune condition found in women with breast implants, although the exact cause of the condition is unknown. Many women report relief once the implants are removed.
Breast implants have been marketed to women without adequate warning of the dangers and risks associated with their use. The irony of the breast implants issue is that many women get breast implants after they have already survived cancer. Now their health is at risk once again.
Contact a Product Liability Attorney
If you’ve been injured by breast implants, you should have your case evaluated by an experienced product liability attorney. For over 20 years, Gregg Goldfarb has been helping the victims of defective products. Contact us online or call us at 305-374-7000 to schedule a free consultation.