Research has shown that as many as 60 women out of the 5-10 million who have had breast implants worldwide have developed ALCL. This compares to the normal rate of around 3 women in 100 million.

ALCL develops in the scar tissue that forms around the implant and is treatable. The disease can form regardless of whether the breast implants are silicone or saline. However surgeons have warned that there is no need to panic or for existing patients to have their breast implants removed as the risk is tiny. However if any women finds that the area around her implants is swelling or she experiences pain or lumps, she should seek medical help immediately as these symptoms could be caused by ALCL.

This is not the first time that the safety of breast implants has been called into question. In 1992, the FDA imposed a plan on silicone breast implants, except as part of clinical trials, as it was feared that if the implants leaked it could cause health problems such as autoimmune diseases. However the ban was lifted in 2006 although the US manufacturers have been asked to continue monitoring patients for the next 10 years to monitor safety.

There are also plenty of other more common side effects associated with breast implants. These include pain in the area, changes in nipple and breast sensation, rupture, capsualar contracture (a shrinking of the a lining of scar tissue that forms around the implant which causes pain and breast hardness), and a migration of silicone in silicone implants. Having implants can also make it harder for technicians to read mammograms.

The most common side effect is capsular contracture with around 10 pc of women experiencing this in the first five years after their breast enlargement operation using saline implants, and around 30 pc of women using silicone.

The best advice is that although it appears that the risk of contracting ALCL after breast enhancement surgery is tiny, if you have any pain, concerns or questions, seek medical advice as soon as possible.

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Anyone with silicone implants made by the French firm Poly Implant Prothese – PIP for short – are encouraged to contact their cosmetic surgeons to discuss having their implants removed or replaced. It is believed that the PIP breast implants are twice as likely to rupture as other implants.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK has already told cosmetic surgeons they are not allowed to use these breast implants any more. Before the warning, PIPs were one of the most popular implants used in breast enlargement surgery.

The implant has already been banned in France after it was discovered that the silicone gel used in them is of a different composition to the gel that was approved in 2001. Testing is now taking place to determine whether the gel is safe or not.

If implants do rupture, the patient runs the risk of developing toxic shock syndrome or gangrene. It is therefore a good precaution to have the implants removed. If you have these implants or are unsure as to the implants you have it is a good idea to contact your cosmetic surgeon as soon as possible to discuss what options are open to you.

Around ninety per cent of the implants manufactured by PIP were exported, with around 66 countries receiving them.

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Nowadays when patients undergo breast implant cosmetic surgery, silicone gel is used for the actual implants using a more cohesive gel and a more durable shell than in earlier generations of implant. New studies have now shown that these new-generation gel implants are safer than saline filled alternatives.

Silicone breast implants have a bit of a bad reputation and at one point, the FDA put a moratorium on the use of gel filled implants for cosmetic surgery purposes. However in 2006, advances in gel filled implants meant that the FDA once again approved the use of silicone implants in breast augmentation surgery.

The big difference between silicone and saline implants is when they are filled. Saline implants come as a shell. After the plastic surgery has put them into place, the shell is filled with saline. With silicone implants, the shell is pre-filled so the cosmetic surgery just puts them into place and doesn’t need to fill the shell.

However saline implants can be inserted in four different ways – the armpit, the belly button, under the breast, or the outside of the areola. The incisions needed for saline implants are typically smaller than those made for silicone implants as the shell is initially empty.

The major difference between the two types of silicone implants are the fillings – old implants used liquid silicone whereas today’s implants tend to use cohesive gel instead. Most patients tend to opt for silicone breast implants over saline implants. However the FDA specify that to have gel filled implants, you must be at least 22 years old therefore anyone under the age of 22 who undergoes breast implant surgery is likely to have saline-filled breast implants.

The Disadvantages of Silicone Implants
Silicone implant ruptures are harder to detect than saline ruptures. This is because when the implant ruptures, the silicone gel may leak out into the breast without a visible difference as the body will not absorb the gel. With saline implants, the body will start to absorb any leaked fluid therefore the change in volume is easy to see.

Also, the size of silicone implants cannot be changed without further cosmetic surgery

The Disadvantages of Saline Implants
Saline implants tend not to look as natural as silicone implants, especially if the patient has small breasts or if the surgery is reconstructive surgery. Some women have also noted that during sport or other physical activities, saline implants can make ‘liquid’ sounds.

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About a dozen British women have already had their breasts repaired using the stem cell technology after they have had cancerous cells removed. Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at the London Breast Institute is now planning to test the procedure on 30 healthy volunteers to evaluate the procedure.

Surgeons are excited about the prospect of this cosmetic surgery as it is believed that the stem cell technique will produce a more natural look than a breast implant using silicone implants. The breast tissue itself will also feel more natural. There are also the health implications – there are some questions over many implants as they are associated with long-term complications and may need replacing over time; there is also a chance the implants might leak and also cause scarring.

The downside of the stem cell technique is that it can only produce volume and not lift or firmness hence why patients are currently only being offered a one cup size increase.

The technique itself involves removing fat from the stomach and/or thigh and extracting the stem cells in it. These stem cells are then mixed with other fat and injected into the breast. The breast then starts to increase in size over the next few months.

In the past, plain fat has been injected into the breasts to try and increase their size however it was found that it was difficult to maintain a good blood supply to the fat. By using stem cells, new blood vessels are encouraged to grow, thus this problem is overcome.

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The twins, who have recently returned to the spotlight to promote their new book, Influence, are said to be arguing over breast implants. It is understood that Ashley is considering having her breasts augmented and is attempting to persuade her sister to have surgery at the same time so that it is not so obvious that she has had cosmetic surgery.

Mary-Kate has been rumoured to have refuted the idea, leaving Ashley with a dilemma – should she get the breast implants and end up looking a lot more curvier than her sister, thereby announcing to the world she has had cosmetic surgery, or should she stay the way she is.

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