I'm 72 and have free floating silicone after my implants ruptured. Can this cause me any serious health problems?

Removal of breast implants, intact or ruptured, may have positive implications if patients are symptomatic. A constellation of symptoms associated with breast implant illness, and autoimmune disease are considered when treating patients who have breast implants and are concerned about foreign body reaction. In our office, we begin this journey with a consideration of symptoms and exclusion of obvious autoimmune problems. In many of our patients, en bloc removal of breast implants with capsulectomy is important and beneficial. Further clinical evidence about breast implant illness is evolving and will continue to guide treatment. I would suggest removal if there is a possibility of foreign body reaction.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Breast implants are probably the most studied medical device in history.  The concern during the moratorium from 1992 to 2007 was that silicone implants could cause autoimmune diseases, connective tissue diseases, or even breast cancer.  No study that I know of has ever shown a systemic illness from ruptured silicone implants. These are studies with thousands of patients.However, with ruptured implants, the surgery to remove them can be much more complicated that removing ruptured saline implants.  Ruptured silicone implants are usually contained within the scar tissue capsule and are removable when the capsule is removed.  It sounds like you have had silicone injected into the breast tissues.  That is a completely different situation.  If the silicone was not medical-grade silicone (and it often is not when it has been injected into the tissues), then a lot of scarring and fibrosis can result.  It is not removable without removing the breast tissue with it (mastectomy).  The actual silicone may not be harmful but sometimes impurities in the non-medical silicone may cause problems. 

Silicone is medically innert---meaning is does not interact with the body. It has been studied extensively---maybe more than anything else---- since the breast implant moratorium of 1992. All medical specialities have cleared silicone of any negative systemic health consequences and it continues to be used for all types of medical devices to this day.Locally, however, silicone can create scar tissue and therefore may interfere with mammograms(ask your radiologist) and may harbor some bacteria that live symbiolically next to the silicone. This is generally not an issue unless you want breast implants.There are FDA summaries available on this data.