Silicone Breast Injection. I had an ultrasound and have silicomas in my lymph nodes. What shall I do? Are they dangerous?

Thanks for your question -
Injecting free silicone into the breasts can cause significant long term problems including inflammation and pain. It also can create a problem with differentiating it from breast cancer.
I recently had a patient that we removed freely injected silicone. Part of the tissue we sent demonstrated breast cancer. It is unclear if there was an association with the silicone and breast cancer. However, in your case, it may make detection of breast cancer difficult.
You should consider having the silicone removed.
Find a board certified plastic surgeon that does these procedures.
I hope this helps.

Thank you for your question regarding what to do with your silicone injections to the breasts. Also, regarding what to do with silicomas in your lymph nodes, I highly suggest you have the silicone and the scar tissue removed from both breasts as soon as possible. In addition, I highly recommend you have the lymph nodes removed. This can be done at the same time. Silicone injections to the breasts are very dangerous. They can cause granulomas and siliconomas and, over time, progress to breast cancer. Also, silicone injections can migrate throughout the body. In your case, they are already migrating to your lymph nodes. Therefore, I would again suggest removing silicone and associated scar tissue and lymph nodes from the breasts as soon as possible. Usually breast reconstruction can be done at the same time. Please seek an experienced board Certified plastic surgeon.

Hi @Mum_of_Three Thanks for the Question!
Free Silicone injections (also referred to as Foreign Body Injections or Black Market Filler) leads to several problems which can arise weeks after the injection or even a decade later if you're lucky. These Silicone Injections are different from Silicone Breast Implants which are FDA Approved, Safe & encased in a special shell or covering. On the other hand, free silicone injections are usually performed with Industrial Grade not Medical Grade Silicone and is often incorrectly injected directly into the tissues of the breast and the body by unlicensed or unskilled practitioners.
The body recognizes these as foreign tissue and mounts an inflammatory response to "wall it off". Through this inflammatory response it can be carried into the lymph nodes and that is what is being shown on your imaging as silicomas. 
There are several methods to available for treating and removing problems associated with silicone injections. If you have an infection, the infection will first need to be treated with oral or IV antibiotics before any surgery can be performed. Commonly, tetracycline type antibiotics such as Minocycline can be effective in patients with silicone granulomatous reactions.
Surgery is usually performed after radiology imaging such as an MRI or CT Scan is performed which can help guide the extent of surgery and create a blueprint of where the foreign body reaction, granulomas and problem lies. 
After surgery, the reconstruction of the area is performed using your own natural tissues. This is performed by harvesting fat from other areas of your body using techniques similar to liposuction and then injecting that fat into the buttock or breast where the silicone was removed from. 
Silicone Removal & Reconstruction is challenging but can be done. Be sure to consult with your plastic surgeon to discuss all your options.
Best of luck,
Dr. Karan Chopra
★★★★★
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon
Face ⨀ Breast ⨀ Body Expert
Johns Hopkins Trained
Cosmetic Fellowship Trained