How Common is a Silicone Allergy with Silicone Breast Implants?

It is possible to develop an allergic reaction to almost any product or substance in our surroundings. . However the silicone allergies are very rare and uncommon .Silicone is found in many household items such as hand lotions, polishes, waterproof coatings and even processed foods. Therefore allergy to silicone can one develop even without the existence of silicone breast implants.

There has
never been an implantable device studied as extensively as silicone breast
implants.In 1990, silicone implants
were taken off the market by the FDA.Since that time, multiple studies have been performed that have
evaluated the safety of liquid silicone and the Silastic implant shell.None of these studies have demonstrated
silicone allergies.It’s also important
to realize that silicone is present everywhere in our environment.It’s even present on needles that are used
for medical injections.Although
silicone implant allergies are probably extremely rare, in someone with your
history of allergies, it’s probably reasonable to consult an allergist before
proceeding with breast augmentation surgery.

Silicone allergy would rare if at all possible. The FDA has studied Breast implants for more than thirty years and it has not identified allergy to silicone as being a concern. By the way silicone is on coatings of some needles, IV catheters are made of silicone as are many other implants in the body, and many antacid/antigas medications taken orally have a silicone derivative as one of its components.

Although most of us believe that silicone is an inert substance that is hydrophobic in molecular structure and safe to use, I would not advise you to undergo the procedure as there are isolated cases of inflammatory reactions arising from silicone or any type of foreign substance.  In your particular case, it seems as though you have a quality of life issue with your allergies and we would not do anything to exacerbate it.   I maintain a very conservative approach to elective surgery in patients with chronic health conditions. 

This is a very intriguing question, and as far as I know there are no blood tests nor skin challenge tests for Silicone Allergies. A tremendous amount of scientific energy and resources have been put into researching the interactions of silicone with the human body, especially with respect to breast implants and there silicone polymer shells. We continue to research implantable prostheses such as this and use our data to take the best care of our patients possible...thus the very important reason why you should seek out a Board Certified Surgeon who is a member in good standing with the specific plastic surgery societies that promote, contribute to and report research.

I have never read of an antibody to silicone in humans.  An antibody is a requirement for a true allergic reaction.  The body does recognize silicone as a foreign object which is why capsules form around breast implants.  Silicone does not have an organic moiety (an antigen) that triggers the body to produce an antibody.  Silicone is useful because the foreign body response is very tame.