Risks surrounding breast implants

Thousands of British women have breast implants every year either in clinics at home or abroad.

The most common implants are silicone or saline (sterile salt water), which are used to enhance the size and shape of the breast or in reconstructive surgery following breast cancer.

One of the most common problems occurs when scar tissue builds up around the implant, which can necessitate their removal if causing pain or distortion of the breast.

Another issue is the risk of an implant rupturing, which can mean silicone leaks into nearby scar tissue or creates a "lumpy" area close by.

The risks from implants appear to be lower with more modern devices, available in the UK since the early 1990s.

Silicone gel implants were ruled to be non toxic by government advisers in the late 1990s following US reports of women suffering a range of conditions, including joint pains and chronic fatigue syndrome, which they alleged were caused by ruptured implants.

In 1991, polyurethane-coated silicone implants were withdrawn in the UK following fears that they could increase the risk of cancer.

Research has since shown that the risk is very low (less than one in a million) and the implants were reintroduced in 2005.

In 2000, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recommended that women with soya bean implants should have them removed.

This followed concerns over inflammation and swelling caused by ruptures or leakage from the implants.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in June that women with breast implants may have a very small but increased risk of developing anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) - the cancer implicated in reports about Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) implants.

It said a literature review identified 34 cases of ALCL in women with breast implants worldwide.

According to the FDA, studies have also shown no evidence that silicone or saline implants cause connective tissue disease, reproductive problems or breast cancer.

However, none of this is likely to reassure women affected by the latest PIP breast implant scandal.

While experts say the risk of rupture in the UK is in line with that for other breast implants, experts have disputed the reliability of the figures.

Women who do wish to have their breast implants removed face a fairly straightforward procedure, although it does carry some risks.

Surgeons can take out most breast implants in around an hour, going in through the original 4cm to 5cm scar under the breast.

Rupture of a breast implant can be confirmed by mammogram, ultrasound, CT scan or MRI.

Operations to remove implants carry the risks of anaesthetic and a small risk of infection.

Recovery is also about two weeks - that is, people should allow two weeks to get back to day-to-day activities.