I’m allergic to Nickel and Silver. Will I have issues with implants since the FDA shows they all contain these heavy metals?

Question

The FDA has acknowledged breast implant illness and has a list of all the heavy metals listed in each type of implant available on the market today. ALL of them contain heavy metals. The thing I can’t understand is if the amounts they contain are enough to create an autoimmune response in someone like myself who is allergic to nickel and silver. When I wear jewelry with these metals my ears get intensely itchy and my neck develops itchy welts that take about 2 weeks subside.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Hello, thank you for your question. Is a minuscule amount, if you are concerned about this you may consider a fat transfer to your breast. Breast fat transfer is a great tool to balance breasts, improve symmetry, and gain up to one cup size in volume. In general, 200 cc per breast is typically the upper limit of fat injection recommended by most plastic surgeons. It is not that more cannot be injected; but on average, this has been determined to be the most that can be expected to live during one transfer. Multiple transfers would be required for additional cc's. In general, the abdomen and thighs are preferred donor sites but fat from other areas can be used. I recommend you to schedule an email or Skype consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon.

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS · Answer

FDA makes its recommendations based on data. Other than a few mostly white and mostly affluent women on social media, there has never been a clear definition of this purported illness, despite mountains of retrospective and prospective studies spanning decades that evaluated many of the symptoms alleged by persons having BII. There is so little metal in the gel of silicone implants that you will not have a reaction.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

Supposedly the amount of trace metals in implants left from the manufacturing process is very small. I have never heard of a metal allergy being triggered by breast implants but there is no way to guarantee this. I suppose you could take a sample implant and hold it against your skin in a bra and see what happens. As far as I know a metal allergy has not been reported from breast implants. On the other hand, there are many things we know know about implants.

I’m allergic to Nickel and Silver. Will I have issues with implants since the FDA shows they all contain these heavy metals?

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Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

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I’m allergic to Nickel and Silver. Will I have issues with implants since the FDA shows they all contain these heavy metals?

Answers (3)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Breast Implants

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