My Question is About Chin Implants from 35 Years Ago. I Believe It Was 1978. I'm Having Discomfort?

Question

My question is can the chin implants used in 1978 break down over the years and cause problems in the glands in the neck.......i have pretty bad discomfort in my glands in my neck and they stay somewhat swolen. could this be from the implant breaking down? is there some sort of testing that can be done to see if I have toxins from the silicone or casing of the silicone in my system? I'm desperate to find this out. I feel worse as time goes on. thank you

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

Chin implants are made of solid silicone, unlike breast implants, which have been made with liquid silicone.  The solid silicone would not break down or travel throughout your system, so I doubt it would be the cause of issues in your neck.

Julian De Silva, MD · Answer

For part of the fact to have discomfort,
there needs to be a source of inflammation, infection or other condition to
cause the symptoms of discomfort. It would be very unusual for a chin implant
to have such issues such as infection so many years after the implant was
inserted unless there was some disturbance in the anatomy such as trauma.

Chin
implants are mostly manufactured out of substances that are well tolerated by
the body long-term. Chin implants can be made out of a variety of materials,
the most common being silicone, and less commonly alternative materials such as
hydroxyapatite (Medpor). The silicone used in chin implants is solid silicone
and this does not deteriorate with time and can be removed years later. It is
possible to complete imaging (CT or MRI) of your face to evaluate for localised
inflammation surrounding the implant and local anatomy. There may be other
causes of discomfort for neighboring anatomy near the chin implant included
dental, salivary glands and lymaphtic notes that may need an evaluation to
exclude another cause of discomfort.

Minas Constantinides, MD · Answer

As the other respondents indicated, it is highly unlikely that your chin implant is causing a problem, as long as it was made of solid silicone rubber.  However, there were other materials used in the past made of other substances than can break down.  However, these usually would not cause gland swelling.  It is much more likely that your gland swelling is being caused by chronic inflammation of the submandibular glands, and not the implant.  An Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose & Thoat doctor) can easily assess you for this.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

While your old chin implant may be some form of silicone, it would be highly unlikely to be leaking and causing any automimmune reactions. If you really want to see whether your chin implant is causing any local reactions, a simple panorex x-ray looking for any osteolysis (bone erosion) around the implant would be a good screening tool.

My Question is About Chin Implants from 35 Years Ago. I Believe It Was 1978. I'm Having Discomfort?

Answers (4)

Answer: Old Chin Implant Causing Problems ??

Answer: Old Chin Implant Causing Problems ??

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Everything you need to know about Chin Implant

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My Question is About Chin Implants from 35 Years Ago. I Believe It Was 1978. I'm Having Discomfort?

Answers (4)

Answer: Old Chin Implant Causing Problems ??

Answer: Old Chin Implant Causing Problems ??

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Chin Implant

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