Are Breast Implants Hypoallergenic?

There is probably no medical device that has been studied more intensively in terms of the potential to stimulate an immune response than breast implants. (Allergy is an immune system response.) Since both saline and silicone gel implants have a silicone shell, the question is a very important one. A few years ago, there were a couple of reports in the medical literature of allergy-type reactions to implants, but it relates more to impurities and not the silicone itself, and in any case this is a handful of cases out of millions of women with implants. That would pretty much be the definition of hypoallergenic! As manufacturing standards have improved over the past 15-20 years, these types of cases should be even more rare now. Silicone is probably the most "biocompatible" synthetic material known, meaning that it generates very little response and so the body accepts it very well. Of all of the substances we are exposed to in a typical day, silicone is among the most benign.

No medical device in the history of Medicine has been as extensively studied as Breast Implants. Preposterously, breast implant were more extensively scrutinized than heart valves, pace makers, defibrillators, artificial joints etc.
After thousands of studies, these studies have demonstrated that implants do NOT cause immune disease, cancer or allergic reactions.I have never met a patient with an allergic reaction to breast implants in the many patients I placed implants in.
Dr. P. Aldea

Breast implants are non-reactive.  There should be no allregic reaction to them as shown in multiples studies over the past 15 years to get approval by the FDA.

This is a great question. Silicone is one of the most commonly studied materials in medical research. To date, there has been no conclusive evidence which has found human antibodies to silicone in women following breast augmentation.
In 1997, the Department of Health and Human Services appointed the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science (IOM) to look at potential complications during or after breast augmentation surgery. After reviewing years of evidence and research concerning silicone gel-filled breast implants, the IOM found that "Evidence suggests diseases or conditions such as connective tissue diseases, cancer, neurological diseases or other systemic complaints or conditions are no more common in women with breast implants than in women without implants."
So, silicone appears to be a safe bio-material and is hypoallergenic because there is very little to no antibody formation. For additional information, see a board certified plastic surgeon in your area that is experienced in breast surgery. I hope this helps!

Hello,
 
Breast implants are not biological so they can't cause allergic reactions.
 
Berst Regards,
 
John Di Saia MD

Breast implants, whether silicone or saline, do not cause an allergic reaction. We routinely place various types of implants, including chin and cheek implants, and they do not cause allergic reactions. Other reactions such as infection, scarring, capsular contracture are all possible, but not considered allergic in nature.

Breast implants (both silicone and saline) are very safe and they do not cause allergic reactions.
About 5% of patients get capsular contracture, which is a tightening of the tissues around the implant, and this can cause the breasts to feel too firm. But this is not an allergic reaction and does not cause you any harm.

As you can see from the other answers, there should be essentially no potential for an allergic reaction to an implant. In over 20 years of practice, I can certainly confirm that I have never met a patient who had any such reaction.

Silicone is a ubiquitous synthetic material with which we come into contact numerous times on a daily basis in normal life. It is contained in packaging materials, hair products, used to coat hypodermic needles, etc.
As a substitute for natural breast volume, silicone gel breast implants have the best characteristics of viscosity and pliability of any biocompatible substance. There is extremely minimal chance of a patient experiencing an allergic reation to either an intact silicone implant, or a ruptured silicone implant. Implant manufacturers in the USA are subject to stringent quality control standards which limits the possibility of contamination of the implants with other substances or impurities that might stimulate an allergic response.

In thirty years of surgically implanting hundreds of both silicone implants filled with either saline or silicone gel every year, I have only seen one individual who might have truly been allergic to silicone implants. It was a case when I was on reserve duty at Walter Reed USA Medical Center who some one else had operated on six months earlier and was felt to have a infection manifested by redness and swelling. Her implants were removed and she immediately settled down while no bacteria grew. At the time I saw her she had had new implants place the previous day only to turn red and swell again. Almost assuredly an allergic reaction. This is one out of thousands and thousands of implants. So you can feel very secure that there is almost no chance you will be allergic to Silicone implants.