Fw: Next Wave of Breast Implants ~ WebMD

[Guest guest]

From: " Ilena Rose " <ilena@...>

Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 4:04 PM

Subject: Next Wave of Breast Implants ~ WebMD

~~~ the same PS groups were claiming that implants rarely ruptured and if

they did, the gel would not migrate. no reason to believe them now. ~~~

Pharmaceutical Sponsored WebMD says:

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.79427

Next Wave of Breast Implants

They Have the Advantages of the Old Silicone Implants, Without One Key

Disadvantage

ByÝ ÝMann WebMD Medical News

May 10, 2001 (New York) - " We must, we must, we must increase our bust! "

For decades, women have been chanting this mantra, doing special

exercises, having enhancement surgery and many other things to make their

breasts larger.

And information presented recently at the annual meeting of the American

Society for Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) held here suggests that

today's surgeons and their female patients have some new and improved

tools -- including cohesive gel implants and vacuum-bras -- at their

disposal.

For one, silicone breast implants are back. But they are not the same as

the implants that the FDA banned in 1992 because of their propensity to

leak and possibly cause disease. The newest generation of silicone breast

implants are made from cohesive gel. Therefore, there is a substantially

lower risk of rupture problems, says Mark L. Jewell, MD, a plastic surgeon

in Eugene, Ore.

" It's a viscous gel that doesn't run or migrate or even have the

propensity for migration, " he tells WebMD. " You can cut it, come back a

year later and there is still no gel migration. "

Jewell and several other U.S. plastic surgeons are currently enrolling

women in a 10-year study that is designed to look at 450 women who receive

the cohesive gel implants.

And so far, so good, he tells WebMD.

In Europe and Australia, thousands of women have had these implants. In

the U.S., there have been about 100 done by about 25 plastic surgeons,

including Jewell.

" The consensus is that they are safe and women really like how they look, "

he says. " They retain their original shape and give a very nice

appearance. "

Importantly, " they don't look fake and most women want a natural look. "

Saline implants feel more liquid to the touch, which is why some women do

not like them, he explains. " The cohesive gel implants feel very natural

to the touch, " Jewell says.

Mired in controversy for years, the older-generation of silicone-filled

breast implants were banned by the FDA following reports of high rates of

rupture as well as diseases where the immune system goes awry such as

rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, and the " dry-eye " condition

known as Sj-gren's syndrome.

But, an independent panel convened by the prestigious Institute of

Medicine concluded that silicone breast implants do not cause cancer or

other illnesses such as those previously mentioned.

And a large review study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that

women with silicone breast implants do not appear to have a higher risk of

developing diseases of the immune system.

" Silicone-filled implants have been carefully studied and the concerns

that were raised in regard to disease risk have been addressed, " Jewell

says.

Rupture rates, however, are still a concern, he says, which is one reason

that the cohesive gel implants are better.

" I think the cohesive gel looks promising but they are new and need

further study, " says

New York plastic surgeon Darrick Antell, MD. Until that time, Antell will

continue using saline implants for all of his breast augmentation

surgeries. Both saline and silicone-filled implants have a silicone shell.

But if the saline implants leak, deflate, or rupture, which they often do,

they would release only salt water and not silicone into the body.

In 2000, there were 203,310 breast enlargement surgeries performed, making

it the third most popular cosmetic surgery procedure, according to

statistics from the ASAPS.

No surgery is without risks and for some women, an external vacuum bra

called the BRAVA Breast Enhancement and Shaping System may suffice to help

breasts increase in size, Jewell says. " This must be worn 16 hours a day

for 10 weeks, " Jewell says.

" It's like wearing a breast pump for that length of time, " Jewell says.

" The long term results are unknown. "

This bra may be an answer for some women, but it is certainly not the

answer, Antell says.

" Most women do not wear the bra for the time periods that they have to in

order to see results and the average increase is very small - not even a

cup size, " he says. That's not the case with implants, where surgeons are

able to increase a woman's bust line by one or more bra cup sizes.

" [The vacuum bra] is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't allow

for controlling the shape of the breast, " Antell says. " People will not

be satisfied and will want the real thing. "

Still, " breast-enhancing pills and creams are heavily advertised in

magazines and newspapers and we know they don't work. This bra works but

not enough, " he adds.

Some women will forever be in search of a better breast -- maybe bigger,

maybe rounder, maybe perkier. But the definition of the perfect breast

differs from year to year and from country to country, Antell says.

" The perfect breast in France is the size of a champagne flute and the

bigger the better is the American way, " he says.

The good news, Jewell adds, is that today women have many options in their

quest for the perfect breast. " It's just not one size fits all type of

thing. "