How Common is a Silicone Allergy with Silicone Breast Implants?

While there is really no solid documentation of silicone allergy, there are inflammatory reactions to liquid silicone. Since you have a complex allergy history, consult with your allergist for their advice.

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 silicone can one develop even without the existence of silicone breast implants.

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 you may have already had your allergy test. I would like to add that both silicone and saline implants have silicone shells. The exposure to silicone in your body for an unruptured... more

Although most of us believe that silicone is an inert substance that is hydrophobic in molecular structure and safe to use, I would not advise you to undergo the procedure as there are isolated cases of inflammatory reactions arising from silicone or any type of foreign substance.  In your particular case, it seems as though you have a quality of life issue with your allergies and we would not do anything to exacerbate it.   I maintain a very conservative approach to elective... more

This is a very intriguing question, and as far as I know there are no blood tests nor skin challenge tests for Silicone Allergies. A tremendous amount of scientific energy and resources have been put into researching the interactions of silicone with the human body, especially with respect to breast implants and there silicone polymer shells. We continue to research implantable prostheses such as this and use our data to take the best care of our patients possible...thus the very important re more

I have never read of an antibody to silicone in humans.  An antibody is a requirement for a true allergic reaction.  The body does recognize silicone as a foreign object which is why capsules form around breast implants.  Silicone does not have an organic moiety (an antigen) that triggers the body to produce an antibody.  Silicone is useful because the foreign body response is very tame.

To answer your question regarding allergies and silicone implants, you need a little background regarding silicone. Silicone comes in different forms based on its molecular structure. This ranges from a low viscosity liquid form to a stable solid form. A common misconception is that silicone is inert. This is partially true. Solid silicone such as silicone rubber, the silicone elastomer shell of a breast implant, and silicone facial implants are inert. However, liquid silicone is intensely... more

I believe that silicone is an inert substance and there is no known allergy to the product. The studies that were requested by the FDA prior to approval clearly support the evidence that silicone implants do not cause autoimmune disorders.

Hi. There is 40 years of research on silicone breast implants, and silicone does not cause allergies.  In fact, the best evidence is that silicone does not cause any diseases.

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 the body's way of "walling off" the implant, which the body recognizes is not part of itself. This scar tissue "capsule" formation is normal, and happens any time a... 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 before you had surgery, you could have a contact test by having a piece of surgical silicone taped to your skin to see if there is any reaction.

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 conditions known as autoimmune diseases, and silicone was suspected as being a trigger for that; however, numerous large-scale studies have conclusively shown no association 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. There is a natural response to a foreign body producing a collagen capsule but problems attributable to allergic reactions to the silicone gel implant are usually merely an infectious process,... more