27 avril, 2006 20:03

Opting for silicone implants

If anyone would like to write to them on this,?I've included a link at the end of the article to contact this newspaper.? Looks like women are still having trouble getting?non-biased information.

Clarion Ledger,?MS

April 18, 2006

Women can choose gel after some surgeries

By Becky Hatchcock

When Cathy Youngblood of Greenwood had to have a double mastectomy,?she had two weeks to decide whether she was comfortable getting silicone gel breast implants.

"I came home after I saw the doctor and began doing the research," says Youngblood, who sought information from her mother who had worked for a plastic surgeon, friends in the medical field and the Internet.

Because she was a breast cancer patient, she was able to have silicone gel implants rather than saline implants the Food and Drug Administration requires in cosmetic surgeries.

Although Youngblood had heard of the wave of lawsuits filed against silicone implant makers in the early 1990s, alleging silicone caused illnesses such as lupus and fibromyalgia, she said the vast majority of her resources indicated silicone gel was safe.

"The first question people ask me is if I am scared of having silicone," Youngblood said.

"I tell them I'm not scared at all," she said.

Plastic surgeon John B. McGraw said he thinks Youngblood was right to make up her own mind about the implants.

"It was a media scare," McGraw said of the silicone lawsuits.

"There have been no scientific studies to give any reason to believe silicone was the cause of any illness," he said.

McGraw, who specializes in breast and body plastic surgery and is a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said choosing to have plastic surgery is an important decision, one that should be carefully considered and discussed with a reliable health-care professional.

The use of breast implants dropped in 1992 when the FDA removed silicone implants from the market because of women's health concerns over leakage.

But in the past several years, there's been an aggressive push by implant makers, including Mentor Corp. and Inamed Corp., to drop the ban.

Last year, federal officials stopped short of putting the implants back on the market for general use, citing continuing questions about their durability and safety.

Until more studies have been completed, consumers wanting silicone breast implants still can get them by agreeing to enroll in a study to determine long-term safety.

The recent FDA approval for using silicone gel breast implants in breast cancer patients also may be contributing to a hike in the number of reconstruction and cosmetic breast implant patients.

"I had never considered augmentation," said Youngblood, 45, who is so pleased with the results she said she would even encourage her daughters to have the procedure done cosmetically.

"I say if it makes you feel more confident and better about yourself, go ahead," says Youngblood who went from a full B cup to a full C cup size.

Dr. Scott Runnels who performed Youngblood's surgery says almost half of his implant procedures are reconstructive and the other half cosmetic.

Having begun his clinic in 1997, Runnels has safely performed "over a thousand" implants in Mississippi women.

"Most women who opt for the cosmetic surgery are interested in reductions or lifts, not increase in size," Runnels says.

"They are generally looking for a reshaping to give the breast a more aesthetic balance. They want symmetry," he says.

Although he considered the risks small, Runnels said there are some things to consider before signing on for breast implants.

"I want women to understand the potential side effects of surgery include bleeding, infection and potential for implant rejection," says Runnels, although in his experience these problems have occurred "in one or two patients out of hundreds."

"At the end of the day, the worst case scenario is you may have to take the implants out," he says.

The procedure itself includes a consultation with the surgeon to determine if size is appropriate for the woman's frame and an in-office surgery where the implant is placed in about thirty minutes.

"There is a recovery period of several days," he adds.

Corin Granger, of Terry is extremely happy with her implants following a mastectomy.

The 32-year-old teacher decided at her age prosthetics were not an option.

"I wanted to be as natural as I was before," she says of choosing to go with a slightly larger implant than what she was before her surgery.

"They are shaped a little differently," she says.

And because she too had medical need, there is little to no feeling in the breast area.

"They had to cut all the tissue and the nerves, so it feels different," she adds. "And girls at the gym will be able to tell, but most people wouldn't know."

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