Silicone Breast Injection

Thanks for your question - Injecting free silicone into the breasts can cause significant long term problems including inflammation and pain. It also can create a problem with differentiating it from breast cancer. I recently had a patient that we removed freely injected silicone. Part of the tissue we sent demonstrated breast cancer. It is unclear if there was an association with the silicone and breast cancer. However, in your case, it may make detection of breast cancer difficult. ... more

Over the last few years I saw few patients who had silicone injected either into their breast or buttock. The breast is much more sensitive because of cancer detection concerns. For mild cases, some sort of lump excision might work. The ultimate treatment in some patients that I have seen was bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. I hope that helps!

When people have liquid silicone injected into their breasts, it makes hard lumps that cannot be differentiated from breast cancer. It also seriously clouds the mammograms in attempting to detect breast cancer. I have seen several patients over the years who have had to undergo mastectomies and reconstructions to treat this entity which is called silicone mastopathy. It might be possible nowadays to use MRI's to evaluate your breast but it may still be necessary to meet with an expert... more

Silicone should NEVER be injected into the breast or butt region. Unfortunately, there are practitioners and even non-medical personnel that perform this on unsuspecting patients. In Florida, we have seen many patients who have received this and unfortunately, some of them have paid the ultimate price- dying when the silicone has moved to their kidneys or lungs.  You are currently experiencing one of the serious complications that can occur with a silicone injection. You... more

Silicone injections into the breast are difficult to treat, although my personal experience has shown that surgical removal can be acheived in some cases. I have followed several patients for some time who have developed silicone nodularity after silicone injections. In all cases, patients cannot assume that a lump in the breast is a result of a siliconoma or silicone nodule. A thorough workup must be obtained to rule out concomitant carcinoma. We frequently consult on patients who have... more

Thank you for the question. I'm sorry to hear about your experience; unfortunately, it is a difficult problem to remedy. The best option is a visit with several well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons to see if the silicone is well localized enough to be excised. If it has been injected diffusely throughout the breasts excision ( without doing a mastectomy) is probably impossible. The “safest option” will depend on your age, physical... more