Does silicone poison your body? Burst implant.

Question

Following breast cancer 7 years ago i had a mastectomy and augmentation. It would now appear that one of the implants have burst, not sure when. Reading some information i have been suffering various side affects for the last couple for years: Brain fog, weight gain, chest pain, back ache are the main effects. I am waiting for an MRI and suspect i may need them removed, But then what...dont want to be left flat chested but dont want to endue these side effects..help

Pravin Reddy, MD · Answer

Silicone is not toxic and most hyper-linked gel implants contain silicone that will stay within the breast capsule.  
Silicone is a common ingredient in may cosmetic products and is present in many foods.  Many medical devices, such as needles and joint implants, are coated with silicone.
I hope this answer provides some reassurance.

Kelly Killeen, MD, FACS · Answer

Although the silicone is itself from your ruptured implants is unlikely to be causing your symptoms, there are patients who develop similar symptoms when they have a biofilm of their implants.  A biofilm is a low grade infection that causes chronic inflammation. We can test for biofilm by taking cultures at the time of surgey.  Some patients do get better with treatment, especially those that have an identifiable bacteria on culture.  If your implants are ruptured, you should change them out.  You can likely have them replaced, but there are other options for breast reconstruction if you would like to avoid an implant in the future.

Amber Leis, MD · Answer

Any time an implant is ruptured it should be removed. You don't have to be flat afterwards though! Your surgeon can help you decide if you should replace your old implant with a new implant, or with tissue from your own body (one of your back muscles or abdominal fat.)

Does silicone poison your body? Burst implant.

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Does silicone poison your body? Burst implant.

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