Is silicone safe to have in the body?

Silicone implants are safe. Period
Breast Implant Illness  and silicone related medical complications are controversial topics. It is a phenomenon which is supported by a wealth of anecdotal data (patient testimony) but no empiric data (hard scientific research). Patient reports a litany of symptoms which they attribute to their implants but the connection is difficult if not impossible to prove via laboratory study.
Physician scientists may recognize anecdotal data but unless it is supported by Class I empiric data, it is difficult to place a great deal of faith in it. Clinicians make decisions based upon evidence based medicine. 
That being said, it is easier to identify what one knows rather than what one doesn't.
What we do know is that by all available measures today...implants are safe and specifically silicone implants are safe.
Silicone breast implants are among the safest medical devices in use today. These devices are also among the most rigorously studied and tested medical devices currently being used in the U.S. today. It is biologically inert  and in that respect no different than the titanium used for bony fixation. There has been no demonstrated link between silicone and the commonly cited myth of autoimmune disease.As always, discuss your concerns with your board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

The FDA has approved the use of silicone gel breast implants and they are safe to use for an augmentation.  From the FDA website: "The FDA has not detected any association between silicone gel-filled breast implants and connective tissue disease, breast cancer, or reproductive problems. In order to rule out these and other rare complications, studies would need to be larger and longer than these conducted so far."

Dear MissAllie,there have been numerous studies on the safety and efficacy of silicone breast implants. The FDA has approved them to be safe and breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic surgical procedure performed in the United States every year. Implants are much different than they used to be with rigorous testing and cohesive gel. I can't tell you how happy my breast augmentation patients have been with their implants.

I would recommend a consult with a plastic surgeon to go over all of your concerns. Saline implants are also a perfectly good option if you are still concerned and are less expensive.
Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

Far more important than the technique is the skill and experience of your plastic surgeon. Choose your surgeon rather than the technique and let them explain why one technique may be better than another.  See the below link on some suggestions on finding the most qualified Plastic Surgeon for a Breast Revision.  Always insist on a board certified plastic surgeon.

and I have attached a summary of the conclusions from the Institute of Medicine that reviewed all of the studies on gel implants after the crisis of 1992 where implants were blamed for everything, including autoimmune problems.  Gel has been around since the 1960s and if there was truly a cause effect relationship, it should be obvious by now.  There isn't and the only questionable thing out there is  the link with one manufacturer's textured implant and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (see bottom of attachment)

Silicone is one of the most commonly used substances in medical devices.   Silicone is also used extensively for cooking products, makeup and hair care products.  Extensive research has been performed and continues to be performed evaluating the safety of silicone products and research to date has shown the safety of both saline and silicone breast implants.  There is no scientific link between breast implants and autoimmune disease.

Yes, silicone is safe and is a product that we are all exposed to on a daily basis, especially in cosmetics and personal products. There is not another medical device that has been studied as much as breast implants. No study has shown that implants only cause autoimmune diseases. However, breast implant surgery may not be a one time only procedure.  If you are concerned about having implants, you might want to consider a fat transfer.

Breast implants are among the most tested of medical devices. No other medical device has been studied to the extent that breast implants have. Extensive studies of tens of thousands of women with breast implants have shown that both saline and silicone implants are safe. They do not produce a higher rate of breast cancer or autoimmune disease. After vigorous evaluation by the FDA, both are approved for cosmetic and reconstructive usage.

The majority of patients having breast augmentations are very pleased with their results. No one should enter into that procedure with the idea that the implants will last forever or that they may never need another breast surgery. There are a variety of reasons why a woman would have a secondary procedure: to alter the size of the implants as the patient ages and the size and shape of the breast naturally change, to correct the effects of pregnancy on the breasts, weight fluctuation, the implant can form a capsular contraction around it which produces a hardening, or the implant may leak. No one can guarantee the life cycle of an implant. 

Robert Singer, MD FACS 

La Jolla, California

Yes silicone is safe. numerous studies involving 385,000 women with breast implants done in prestigious universities such as John Hopkins have concluded that there is no evidence that silicon gel implants produced autoimmune disease.