Unusual skin reaction to silicone content in breast implants.
Marcusson JA, Bjarnason B.
Department of Dermatology, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
We present a patient who had a long history of unsuccessful bilateral mammary operations with insertion and extraction of various implants, some of which were filled with silicone gel, others with saline. In addition to complications in the tissue surrounding the prosthesis, she had distant widespread skin lesions which, we believe, were due to leakage from the implant. A cutaneous test with material from various implants, such as the gel content and the shells, caused an unusually prolonged inflammatory response, which was difficult to classify as being either irritative or allergic. Macromorphologically and histologically, the provoked lesions resembled the previous cutaneous lesions. We believe that the patient's complications are due to an unusual host response to silicone.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10228633?
Doctors,
Can you explain the relationship of silicone and the response this person had so we understand how silicone is safe, inert, and causes no reactions ?
Thank you in advance
Can a doctor explain this to me in a way where I can completely understand it ?
The information reported at this symposium presents initial data supporting the notion that patients with exposure to silicone gel are experiencing a new illness. Previously, this disorder was described variously as “human adjuvant disease” and chronic silicone arthropathy.
During the symposium, the term siliconosis and silicone implant syndrome (SIMS) was used to describe the clinical syndrome associated with patients receiving silicone gel in liquid or encapsulated form. I prefer the term siliconosis because it is inclusive of symptomatic women who were exposed to silicone gel by injection or implant placement.
Siliconosis is characterized by a spectrum of illness that may affect a number of organs. In its most common form, siliconosis is a musculoskeletal pain syndrome characterized by overwhelming fatigue, arthralgias, and myalgias. This form of the illness is reminiscent of a chronic flulike state.
Influenza patients have overwhelming fatigue, fever, myalgias, and arthalgias. Common laboratory tests, such as complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and ANA are normal in individuals with influenza.
It is difficult to document the presence of the virus, although the disease is diagnosed by physicians in the absence of positive viral cultures. Release of immune mediators (cytokines) by mononuclear cells is the most likely mechanism for the presence of constitutional symptoms. A similar circumstance may occur with the release of cytokines by mononuclear cells ingesting silicone.
The criteria for classification of fibromylagia include generalized pain in symmetrical areas of the body including those above and below the waist. Also included is pain with palpation in 11 of 18 tender point sites. Other factors associated with fibromylagia include nonrestorative sleep, daytime fatigue, chronic headache, and irritable bowel syndrome. Criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome include persistent fatigue sufficient to reduce daily activity by 50% or more for a period over 6 months, along with chills, cervical lymphadenopathy, headaches, myalgias, sleep disturbance, and fever.
Patients with silicone breast implants have similar but not identical symptoms associated with these other disorders.
The severity of fatigue and the presence of a limited number of tender points differentiates this illness from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Patients with fibromyalgia associated with siliconosis do not have symmetrical tender points. Most tender points are located above the waist, and < 11 are identified in these patients.
Siliconosis also differs from chronic fatigue syndrome. Patients with breast implants do not have fever, which is a frequent manifestation of chronic fatigue syndrome. Laboratory tests are normal in chronic fatigue syndrome, whereas a third of symptomatic patients with silicone breast implants have abnormal laboratory tests including ANAs.
In addition to the musculoskeletal symptoms associated with siliconosis, a minority of patients also experience skin rash, alopecia, fever, lymphadenopathy, and arthritis.
A significant number of patients develop a Sjögren's-like disorder characterized by xerophthalmia and xerostomia. However, there is an absence of autoantibodies and cellular infiltrates associated with classic Sjögren's syndrome.
Systemic lupuslike syndrome may appear with arthralgias, skin rash, and fever in the absence of detectable ANA.
Rheumatoid arthritis-like disease may be characterized by years of polyarthritis without significant erosions or periarticular osteopenia.
Neurological symptoms in the form of shortterm memory loss, paresthesias, and neuropathy have been reported.
The pathogenesis of this disorder remains to be determined.
The report of Kossovsky suggests that the alterations in plasma proteins facilitate the ingestion of silicone by macrophages that initiate an immunological response characterized by a chronic inflammatory state that is associated with the production of autoantibody and cytokines.
The capsule surrounding implants is a potential site for production of a number of immunologically active factors that could result in patient symptoms.
Inflammatory reaction, including lymphocytes, monocytes, and plasma cells, has been identified in implant patients, with or without overt leakage.
Increased amounts of interleukin 2 have been detected in capsules surrounding breast implants. The presence of these factors may explain the reason for the presence of the syndrome in patients with intact implants.
Clinical symptoms associated with this pathological immunological state may occur in genetically predisposed patients. Preliminary studies suggest that genetically predisposed patients may have the DR53 haplotype.
Patients whose implants were removed have reported improvement in symptoms.
The improvement is not immediate in most patients. Some patients report improvement that has its onset 12 months or more after explantation.
This time course of improvement does not follow a course expected with placebo effect. One would predict that improvement with explantation would be immediate with placebo effect.
Explantation of the implants, along with the surrounding capsule, removes a large amount of silicone from the patient. Improvement over 12 months or longer suggests that an abnormal immune response is decreasing with removal of the silicone.
The amount of silicone that remains in patients with enlarged axillary lymph nodes may not be adequate, over time, to sustain the abnormal immune response.
In some patients, the residual amounts of silicone may be adequate to sustain the pathological process. This group may contain the third of patients who do not improve with explantation.
Finally, the current controversy involving silicone breast implants seems reminiscent of the debate surrounding the original patients with Lyme disease. The physicians who saw these first patients preferred to diagnose juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that they knew. Superficially, the illness seemed to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis because it occurred in children and caused arthritis. However, closer scrutiny revealed that the illness occurred in clusters and affected adults as well as children. The illness was not juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but a new illness caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by a tick (Ixodes dammini).
Our current understanding of silicone breast implants is that silicone is not inert and has the capability of causing systemic tissue damage. The mechanism by which this agent results in a clinical disease that differs from other rheumatic disorders remains to be determined.
The participants of this symposium hope that the data presented will heighten interest in this condition and result in additional studies to further define the disease and improve therapies for women who are symptomatic from silicone breast implants.
From the Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington
The original surgery to get implants can cost from around 4500 up to 10,000 depending on the circumstances.
For most though, the cost doesnt stop there.....
Most people I know with implants have had at the very least 3
re-operations due to going larger, rupture, capsular contracture, or because they became violently ill from the implants.
Explants can cost 6500 up to 20 grand depending on the circumstances, and if you get a lift.
Just be sure you have a nice savings going, because there are alot of people that are unable to have theirs removed, and are very ill, either from one of the side effects that can happen,or from ruptures, and they have no money set aside to have the surgery.
Since it is a cosmetic proceedure, and are deemed safe by the manufactures, doctors and the FDA, insurance usually doesnt cover this, so you will need to have the cash on hand.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy
choice !
There are many symptoms of silicone poisening, but you see, the silicone manufactured for implants are made up of some 38 or so chemicals, all known neuro-toxins from what I understand.
Here is a list:
1)Methyl EthylKetone
2)Cyclobexanone
3)Isopropyl Alcohol
4)Denatured Alcohol
5)Acetone
6)Urethane
7)Poly vinyl Chloride
8)Lacquer Thinner
9)Ethyl Acetate
10)Epoxy Resin
11)Epoxy Hardener
12)Amine
13)Printing Ink
14)Toluene
15)Freon
16)Silica
17)Flux
18)Solder
]19)Chlorplatinic Acid
20)Metal Cleaning Acid
21)Formaldehyde
22)Talcum Powder
23)Color Pigmentation (Printers Ink)
24)Oakite
25)Cyanoacyrylates
26)Ethylene Oxide
27)Carob Black
28)Xylene
29)Hexone
30)Benzene
31)Hexanone 2
32)Thixon-OSN-2
33)Rubber
34)Acid Stearic
35)Zinc Oxide
36)Naptha
37)Phenol
38)Methylene Chloride
39)Platinum Salt
It is not the same as the silicone in nature...Not after processing it with all those chemicals.
I dont know why they say it is safe.
Number 10 and 11 are epoxy and epoxy hardner, and when you read how that is made, they use bisphenol A to make those, and that is very toxic !
In many people, it causes Multiple Chemical Sensitivities that lead to digestive problems, rashes, headaches, neurological things like numbness and tingeling in your limbs, and it can even distupt the whole endocrin system. I read that on the FDA site under immunotoxicology in the medical implant section for breast implants, and heart implants, etc....
You know,our bodies already take so many hits from all the chemicals in the environment, our foods are modified,hormoned, radiated, and the drinking water full of things that dont belong....
Add genetics in the play, and you can have some serious trouble brewing.
Get all the education you can find on the subject and talk to many people with same like experience, and learn it all.
You will know.......
Beth, you are right, people should know just how expensive it gets. I know that mine was around 60 thousand back in the
90's and that didnt include all the doctor visits, MRI's and labs and all, that was just the multiple surgeries from the massive silicone spill. The implants were behind the muscle so when the mammogram machine caused the blow out of the implant and the scar capsule, that nasty, very sticky silicone just oozed everywhere, even up and over my right shoulder ! Each time they went in to remove the tumors that formed, they had to detatch my entire chest wall to get to it. Most of the surgeries took around 3-6 hours to do, and I had most of my breast tissue removed from both breasts, and most of my right pectoral muscle was removed, it was necrotic, and nasty .
It doesnt stop there, this last several years has been very challenging as my immune system didnt survive all that trauma from all the surgeries and chemicals dumped into it, my heart, lungs, liver and kidneys shut down and I have been in the hospital 8 times in the last couple years, and am drowning in medical bills, collection notices, and attorneys trying to collect monies I dont have.
I am basically confined to my home, awaiting heart surgery, and another breast surgery, and I just had a CT that said my lungs are full of nodules, and they think it is cancer.
I just wonder......could it be silicone that migrated in there?
Which would be the lesser of the two evils, silicone or cancer?
Just please know it is 50/50 if you will have problems or not, really look hard at everything and learn all you can before you make a decision that could change your life so greatly, into something you never imagined.
Is this the American Dream they talk about ?
That is where I was headed when I got the safe implants that would last a lifetime, I was headed to the American Dream and I trusted our Government the FDA to tell the truth, and this is where I ended up.
I can say, I do everything I can to be sure all the education I can find is out there so that anyone contemplating an implant of any kind will be fully educated about it and not be deceived by the safe, and last a lifetime and still be perky when you are 80 statements like many of us were told...
God Bless YOU
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