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Female Voice: Silicone implants were taken off the market for cosmetic patients for about a decade. Since there was very little research to prove that they were safe. In the years leading up to the moratorium, several women successfully sued Dow Corning based upon fears that silicone implants caused autoimmune disease. Implant manufacturers only settle these lawsuits instead of fighting them because it was the easiest option at the time. The reality is that the risk of silicone poisoning is much higher for a diabetic using insulin needles than it is for someone with breast implants. During that moratorium on implants for cosmetic use, silicone implants were still used for breast reconstruction and studied very extensively. The eventual result was that the ban on breast implants was finally lifted in 2002.

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With nearly 300,000 breast augmentations performed in 2012 according to the ASPS, 62% of patients used silicone implants and 38% used saline implants. There are many myths about breast implants that simply aren't true. There are claims all over the internet that breast implants causing cancer, making it harder to detect breast cancer, needing to be replaced every ten years, or even that the body may reject them, however, breast implants are very safe medical devices, well for the most part.

Male Voice: French police are continuing to question the head of a firm that supplied non-medical grade silicone breast implants to hundreds of thousands of women all over the world. Seventy-two year old Jean-Claude Mas and another executive of the now defunct PIP company were arrested early on Thursday morning at his home in Sixth Fars La Parge on France's southern coast. They are facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and causing bodily harm.

Female Voice: Low priced surgery is very popular right now especially with the recent economy. And believe it or not, it is actually legal for an anesthesiologist or emergency room physician to place breast implants. And surgery could be done in an operating room that doesn't meet state standards. Medical tourism offers low prices but patients expose themselves to possibly substandard or expired implants, poor sterility, and lack of post op monitoring. Patients risk their health and poor result but dealing with these complications can by way more costly than just choosing a slightly more expensive board certified plastic surgeon here in the U.S. to begin with.

Are Breast Implants Safe?

Doctor Dana Goldberg discusses the safety of breast implants and answers how long they last.