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Do Leaking Silicone Implants Cause Problems in Your Joints?

My silicone implants are leeking and I'm having a lot of problems with my joints (knees, shoulders, ankles, hips). I was told it was from the silicone going thru my body.

Asked 44 months ago by June Zaloumis

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Silicone appears safe but there are things you should know.

Good question June - Implants were first introduced in 1962 and there have been over 250 types have been created. The Food and Drug Administration has been regulating medical devices in 1976. You are probably aware of the media spectacle regarding implants in the 1980’s when allegations that silicone gel implants could be linked to cancer, autoimmune and connective tissue disorders (such as lupus). Numerous lawsuits were filed and millions of dollars were paid to settle the resultant... more

Steven H. Williams, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast implants do not cause joint pain

Breast implants, saline or silicone, do not cause joint pains. Period. The FDA has established that the implants are innocuous. Your arthritis comes from something else. Check with your doctor about possible causes.

G. Gregory Gallico III, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Please see your plastic surgeon to discuss the removal of your breast implants.

In 1999, the Institute of Medicine concluded that silicone implants do not cause any major health problems. Research and reports from the last decade have shown that silicone gel-filled implants do not pose additional risks to women’s short-term or long-term health. Silicone implants are approved by the FDA and are considered safe. Breast implants, like most medical devices, are not meant to last a lifetime. When a leak is documented, it is best to remove the affected implants with... more

Stephen A. Goldstein, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Your joint problems are most likely not from silicone

Many studies have confirmed that silicone implants , whether leaking or intact, do not cause rheumatologic problems. Consequently, your problems are most likely from some condition that a Rheumatologist (an arthritis doctor) should evaluate. In addition, you would be wise to get your implants exchanged as soon as is practical for you.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast implants have been found to be safe by the FDA

June, Depending on how old your silicone breast implants are, they are either the cohesive gel implants (currently approved by the FDA) or the previous generation of implants. The older (2nd generation) implants were made with a thinner shell and the silicone gel inside was more liquid. These implants were know to leak more readily but retrospective studies have not supported the thought that the silicone migrates throuout your body. The current 3rd generation implants have been exhaustively... more

Michael C. Edwards, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Can leaking silicone implants cause problems in your joints?

I have been one of the investigators for silicone breast implants and I can tell you that silicone is completely benign and does not cause any diseases or medical problems. Silicone implants are approved by the FDA and are considered completely safe. Any implant can leak, of course, and a leaking implant needs to be replaced. But a leaking silicone implant is only a local mechanical problem that is corrected by replacing the implant. Leaking silicone in the implant pocket will not cause any... more

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Silicone is an Inert Substance

To date, silicone has not been proven to cause any systemic illness. There were reports of collagen vascular disorders being caused by silicone and it took 20 years to disprove those false allegation. Currently, there are reports in Europe about a certain form of lymphoma but this too has not been proven. There are ongoing investigations to study the association between silicone and lymphoma Europe but no direct correlation has been found. In regards to joint disorders, there has not been... more

Jacob Freiman, MD

Miami Beach Plastic Surgeon

Leaking implants and joint pain

I think that there are two questions here that certainly need to be answered. The first is whether or not you had a test determine if your implant is indeed leaking. If a silicone implant is leaking, all surgeons as well as the FDA agree that it should be either removed or removed and replaced. Secondly, the question of the effect of joint pain and silicone should be answered. In the early 1990s claims are made that the relationship between silicone and joint pain and arthritis. This led to... more

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John E. Sherman, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Silicone in my joints

Although there may be silicone molecules in your joint, there is no evidence that silicone is bad on your joints.

Arian Mowlavi, MD

Laguna Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Leaking silicone implants and joint pain

There is no evidence that silicone can cause any health problems Silicone implants have been studied extensively and in 2006 the FDA came back and stated there is no evidence that silicone implants can cause any health problems.The institute if science an independent organization came to the same conclusion We are exposed to silicon in our daily life, many devices ate covered with silicone,needles lubricated with silicone, IV tubing, even in canned food. Most Rheumatologist will tell you... more

Samir Shureih, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Silicone implants not the culprit for joint problems

There is no evidence that even ruptured silicone implants cause any systemic disease. Having said that, if your implants have been demonstrated to have ruptured, they should be removed. Meet with a board certified plastic surgeon about your implants and with a rheumatologist about your joints! Good Luck!

Jeffrey Horowitz, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

No link between silicone and joint problems.

First. Leaking implants should be removed and replaced. Second. The Institute of Medicine study and over 400 peer-reviewed medical studies showed no correlation between silicone implants and systemic disease. Third. the new generation of silicone implants have been designed that even it there is a tear in the outer shell, the silicone inside should not leak out. Do talk to your local Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for details and the best option for you...

Jeffrey Roth, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Silicone & Joint Pain

There have been a great many studies performed since silicone implants were mistakenly removed from the market in the early 90's. None of them have indicated any relationship between the implants and arthritis or other causes of joint pain. It appears that this was "junk science" introduced by trial lawyers.

John Whitt, MD

Louisville Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Silicone Gel and Joint Pain

What were the most researched and studied devices in the history of this country? Heart valves? Artificial knees or hip joints? heart defibrillators? No. No. and NO. Spurned by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now known as the American Association for Justice, [it would be funny -- if it was not so pathetically sad...]), the most heavily studied and scrutinized devices in the history of the USA's FDA have been breasts implants. Devices that while they bring comfort to millions do no more

Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Leaking implant

As the other surgeons have said here, there is no link between silicone implants and autoimmune diseases or the symptoms you are describing. Having said that your implants need to be removed anyways. You can either replace the implants with new ones or just go without implants for a while and replace later. Staging the removal and replacement may be a good option for you to give you long term confidence in the safety of the silicone breast implants. Discuss these two options with your... more

Bahram Ghaderi, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Quick Answer: no

No scientific evidence to support this or link silicone to any autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic fatigue. That said, I have removed silicone implants from patients in the past (only one or two in 18 years), and they have reported improvements in aches and pains, fatigue, etc. Is this placebo effect or something else, I could not say.

Scott E. Kasden, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Leaking breast implants

The leaking breast implants should be removed. But, there is no evidence to support the claim that joint pain is related to the silicone implant.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Leaking Implants Should Be Removed

Hello, You should have your leaking implants removed. There is no "firm" evidence that silicone gel itself causes problems in humans, but it is thought by some that silicone gel may have an adjuvant effect, meaning it may push an individual with the tendency towards disease "over the edge" encoruaging expression of that disease. This is very hard to prove. Best Regards, John Di Saia MD

John P. Di Saia, MD

Orange Plastic Surgeon

Silicone is safe!

Leaking silicone implants need to be removed. Many studies have been done which demonstrate that silicone does not cause joint disease. Leaking silicone can travel to the local breast tissue and cause small granulomas that don't cause any harm but may mimic something bad. Newer cohesive gel implants are better designed to avoid these problems in the future.

Robert M. Freund, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Have those leaking implants removed...

Leakage is a reason to have your implants removed, and they should be removed as soon as you can have it done. There is no scientific evidence that implants, including silicone, cause any disease in humans. There are certainly anecdotal stories, though, about women with joint pain after having silicone implants (leaking or not). You should have your leaking implants removed, then have your joint pain evaluated by your primary doctor or a rheumatologist to see how it might best be treated. more