Itch and rash due to breast implants? I had silicone breast implants on August 2007. I was found to have (+) ANA on 2010.

Question

Lupus was ruled out but I have CREST Syndrome. Asymptomatic except for intermittent esophagitis. I developed itch & skin rashes on May 2014. The biopsy showed it was drug-related. Rashes were gone for a month, but came back July 28. I just saw the allergist today and he discussed that the rashes maybe caused by my implants. He said that if blood test and skin allergy test show negative results, then we will have to go through the "breast implant being the culprit" path. What are the chances?

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

Very possible but only real way is implant removal to see if you are having these issues... Can have fat grafting to replace implants as an answer..

Jeffrey M. Hartog, DMD, MD · Answer

Despite the fact that most studies do not show a direct correlation between CREST / +ANA and breast implants, I personally believe that there is a small subset of patients in which they are related, almost like some people are allergic to a medication and others are not. I have myself seen cases where removal of implants resulted in clinical improvement and actual change to ANA -ve. Unfortunately this does not occur with absolute predictability as the +ANA may not be related to the implants. The only way to test for this is of course to remove the implants. If this were someone in my family, this is what I would recommend, understanding that there is no guarantee that implant removal will resolve the problem. Of course if the problem does not resolve, and if you chose to, the implants could be replaced. Alternatively you could consider fat transfer for breast augmentation to provide volume in place of the implants. This is something we have provided to patients requesting implant removal.

Scott L. Replogle, MD (retired) · Answer

I would generally agree with Dr. Morgan's response. It is very common,  in my experience, for physicians who can't figure out what's going on to blame things on breast implants. There's no evidence to support it but it's an easy thing to blame it on. We see this commonly in symptoms within the breast that women would get if the implant weren't there but they tend to get blamed on the implant unless there is an obvious diagnosis. Why would something that has been there since 2007 start causing autoimmune or allergic type problems? Why did it go away and then return if the implants are still there? Basically, it is not possible for the body to react to silicone rubber with a rejection or allergic response. This would be the same for something like stainless steel or titanium. It's conceivable that something inside the implant got out but even then it's confined to the space within the capsule and should cause a local effect. Even silicone injected into the tissues only shows a reaction related to the size of the molecules, not to silicone itself.There's definitely the possibility that something like a biofilm has developed in the space around the implant and the problem is what's in the biofilm, not the implant. Usually this is associated with obvious capsule contracture. Another problem is what's called the nocebo effect. If someone is convinced that something is causing them problems or symptoms or someone suggests this to them, then removing the implants might get the patient to say they feel better even though there's no science to it.I tell patients that it's totally up to them to have implants taken out just as it was their choice to have them put in, but the chances of actually improving their health are close to zero.

Itch and rash due to breast implants? I had silicone breast implants on August 2007. I was found to have (+) ANA on 2010.

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Itch and rash due to breast implants? I had silicone breast implants on August 2007. I was found to have (+) ANA on 2010.

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.