Breast Implants Q&A
80%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
1,008 Reviews
Breast Implantsbefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average Breast Implants Cost: $6,000

Learn about Breast Implants

4,915 people and 831 doctors are talking about Breast Implants

Get Free Email Updates

More Reported Autoimmune Disease Symptoms with Saline Vs. Silicone?

asked 2 years ago by MoCab5 in Arizona
Latest answer by Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD
Question viewed 1,238 times
Tags: breasts, female, saline implants, silicone implant, autoimmune disease

All I see on the internet are thousands of horror stories about autoimmune nightmares after getting breast implants. Is there a difference between the amount of women who report these symptoms who had saline implants vs. silicone implants? I understand that there are years of research saying that implants don't cause illness but I can't ignore the horror stories without asking questions first, especially since I have CFS myself.

8 answers to More Reported Autoimmune Disease Symptoms with Saline Vs. Silicone?

+2

Saline versus Silicone implants for safety

Both saline and silicone implants are FDA approved, and this comes with extensive research and studies on the safety of silicone implants. Be careful about what you read on the internet as everything you read may not be true. Talk with your plastic surgeon to see if you feel comfortable with silicone implants. You can always to with saline, but remember that the saline implant shell is made out of silicone.
Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

www.BaltimorePlasticSurgery.com

+2

Autoimmune disease and implants

As you can see from the other answers, there hasn't been any scientific connection between implants and autoimmune disease.  It doesn't matter if it is saline or gel.  Some patients who are concerned should just go with saline in order to put their minds at ease. 
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+2

Autoimmune DIsease and Implants

There was so much "hoopla" over implants during the crisis of the 1990s that I do not blame any woman for being suspiciious over the possibly harmful effects of silicone. Today, we look back and by "following the money" see that this was a crisis that was engineered mainly by legal and political factors, not medical ones. If you can't ignore the accounts of women who are sure that their autoimmune problems started after they had implants, then you will likely worry every... more
John LoMonaco, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

www.DrLoMonaco.com

+2

The science of breat implants and autoimmune disease

The scientific studies have shown no association between breast implants and autoimmune disease. This is the level of our scientific knowledge. Each individual may differ from the statistics but this is what the studies show. The following may sound very cynical but, the other telling fact is that the trial lawyers are no longer sueing for breast implants and autoimmune disease.
John P. Stratis, MD

Harrisburg Plastic Surgeon
+2

Implants and autoimmune disorders

I think the final word on the autoimmune disorders and implants it out. There have been extensive studies performed over thelast 15 or so years looking at this potential association. The studies have concluded as reported to the FDA, that there is no defintive association between the two. The bottom line is that people get autoimmune disorders and some patients that have implants will get it just like anyone else. The two are not associated.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+2

Silicone Phobia

Dear MoCab This issue has been studied for years and the scientific evidence has shown no significant increase in rheumatic diseases like Lupus, CFS, and rheumatoid arthritis. There will always be anecdotal stories on the internet so discuss this with your plastic surgeon. If you have a fear of silicone by all means use saline or the saline Ideal Implant. But this is a decision between you and your surgeon. Steven Schuster MD FACS
Steven Schuster, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

www.schusterplasticsurgery.com

+2

Silicone or Saline implants and autoimmune disease.

I would like to confirm Dr. Aldea's comments. Occasionally there are links made that are more correlation than causation. For example if I told you everyone who has a heart attack has ears, it might lead you to believe ears cause heart attacks. Just because women who have autoimmune disease have implants, it doesn't mean it causes them. In studies, similar numbers of women WITHOUT implants had comparable numbers of conditions.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+2

More reported autoimmune disease symptoms with Saline vs. Silicone?

Dear MoCab5, I have been a surgeon for 26 years and as time passes I realize just how much more we yet need to learn and discover, but the case for breast implants and silicone has already BEEN made. Let me give you this perspective - No medical device in the history of Medicine was EVER studied and scrutinized more than the breast implant - ACROSS THE GLOBE. - Our own NIH and other centers spent MORE MILLIONS studying breast implants than were spent studying heart valves, defibrillators,... more
Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question