How common is a silicone allergy with silicone breast implants?

It is possible to develop an allergic reaction to almost any product or substance in our surroundings. . However the silicone allergies are very rare and uncommon .Silicone is found in many household items such as hand lotions, polishes, waterproof coatings and even processed foods. Therefore allergy to... more

I agree with the physicians below. Silicone is inert and should not be the cause of a true allergy. In addition - almost all needles that are used to perform injections or place intravenous lines are coated with silicone to increase the ease of passing through the skin. If you've had an injection or an IV... more

I agree with my colleague- Silicone is an inert substance, and testing is not performed or necessary. What you may be referring to is the formation of a tight scar capsule around the implants, known as capsular contracture. The formation of a layer of scar tissue around your implants is normal, and is just... more

Having done thousands of breast implants both saline filled and silicone gel filled over 30 years I have never had a patient develop an allergy to silicone. About 20 years ago I saw another surgeon's patient who appeared to actually be allergic to the implants. While I don't believe it would be necessary to do... more

Silicone is one of the most biocompatible materials, which is why it is the chioce for many types of implants such as pacemakers and artificial joints. Various tests have been promoted in the past but results of these have not been confirmed to provide any useful information. Allergy is one type of a family of... more

While patients with polyurethane coated silicone implants exhibited allergic reactions to the polyurethane, silicone itself is an inert compund. Talc on gloves used to be a source of allergies, as could suture materials, or irrigation solutions containing certain antibiotics or iodine-based solutions... more