What Are Symptoms of Silicone Poisoning from Breast Implants?

I got silicone breast implants over a decade ago, and I have recently become very sick. The only doctor I've seen so far took a blood sample and found silicone in my system. Could it be that I have silicone poisoning from my breast implants? What are the symptoms?

Tags:

silicone implant sick side effects

Comment on this

16 Doctor Answers | Asked by anon

Doctor Answers (16)
Community Comments (1)

Facticious Disorder

To date, there is no proof of anything called silicone poisoning from breast implants. If silicone was found in your blood, it got there through another route. Older implants should be changed though since they have something called a "bleed" which is an oily fluid that comes out of them. The newer implants do not have this.

Silicone breast implants do not cause silicone poisoning

Silicone breast implants do not cause silicone "poisoning". Silicone in various forms are ubiquitous, being present in foods, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, etc. and is found in trace amounts in our bodies. You should, however, always be vigilant about the possibility of rupture or leakage of your implants implanted for more than 10 years even though this by itself may not and usually does not cause systemic illnesses.

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Studies do not show that silicone "poisoning" exists.

If your implants are silicone from about 20 years ago, it is likely that they should be removed and either replaced with newer implants or left out. No studies have shown that there is a condition of "silicone poisoning". Silicone is a naturally existing substance that is non reactive. Silicone is present in the syringe and needle that drew your blood as well as in orange juice and many other substance and foods you ingest. I would suggest getting a work up from a good Internal... more

Very Unlikely related to your implants

Hi there, There are a few things you should understand, and that I think will help you feel better that your implants are not the cause of your illness. Even when your implants were new, your system was exposed to a small amount of silicone on the surface of the implants. As they aged, this "gel bleed" more than likely increased over time. In fact, with your implants being almost 20 years old, it is very likely that you have had exposure for some time; meaning that if you were to... more

What Are Symptoms of Silicone Poisoning from Breast Implants?

Silicone poisoning does not exist as a disease entity. There has been no study that shows that silicone from implants leak into the bloodstream. Many different medical devices contain silicone.

What Are Symptoms of Silicone Poisoning from Breast Implant

There is no medical evidence to suggest that silicone in the blood stream comes from silicone implants. Silicone poisoning is not a medical term. Silicone is found in a number of medical devices.

Silicone Poisoning

It is extremely unlikely that the silicone found in your system is from old breast implants. I would explore other possibilities for silicone getting into your system.

Silicone poisioning

Silicone poisoning? I have never heard of this phrase before. As far as I know, silicone is an inert substance that is found in a lot of different products besides breast implants.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Really no such thing as "poisoning" from silicone

There is really no such thing as “poisoning” from silicone. Over the years there have been extensive studies and research done by respectable universities that show medical grade silicone is nontoxic. This was following intense debate on the risks associated with silicone and silicone implants, and as a result the topic has been thoroughly examined and the fears proven to be unfounded. Another thing to remember is that silicone is actually found in the body in small amounts, and... more

Are your implants silicone gel?

Pfeffer, Do you know if your implants are silicone gel filled? Gel filled implants were not available in the U.S. for first time breast augmentation patients ten years ago. They were re-approved for this use by the FDA in 2006 after 14 years of research confirming that essentially there is no such thing as silicone poisoning and no cause and effect between silicone gel implants and disease. Pursue the issue further with your doctor, who may refer you on to a rheumatologist for further... more

Doctors will not see your comments on their answers. If you'd like to follow up, please go here to ask another question.

Comments (1)

30isthenew20 26 Oct 2012

Hi there...breast implants are the most popular elective surgery in North America. Obviously a plastic surgeon has a vested interest in telling you silicone implants cannot make you ill. There is a ton of medical literature supporting BOTH sides of this argument. Seeing as you have silicone in your blood, either it has diffused through the shell over the years, or you have a rupture. The implant manufacturers themselves advise replacement every 8 - 10 years, and some even recommend periodic MRIs to ensure a silent rupture has not occurred. If silicone leaking into your body was safe, why is it necessary to take these precautions? It's also interesting to note that implants are not only composed of silicone, but over 30 other toxic chemicals, including heavy metals and known carcinogens. I am currently on a waiting list for an explant of my ruptured (and LEAKING) silicone implants. My surgeon told me that cohesive gel implants could not leak because they were the consistency of a gummy bear and that even in the even of a rupture, it would not leak due to the cohesiveness of the gel. But an MRI proved otherwise. I would strongly advise an ultrasound or MRI if your implants are more than 8 years old, or you have had a trauma to the area (mine are less than 5 yrs old). God bless and best of luck with your health issues. P.S, You can find more detailed information on this matter on Dr. Susan Kolb's website, a female plastic surgeon who specializes in removing implants and helping woman regain their health

Ask a Question