Fw: Beauty & the Breast ... Excellent Canadian Report ... Must See & Listen!

[Guest guest]

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

Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 11:41 AM

Subject: Beauty & the Breast ... Excellent Canadian Report ... Must See &

Listen!

If you missed this when it was live ... the radio clips are here ...

http://cbc.ca/consumers/indepth/breast_implants/

By Bartlett, CBC Radio News, June 2001

More women than ever, it seems, want large breasts. Women are entering

contests to get them. They're dipping into their savings accounts or

maxing out their credit cards to buy them.

Listen to McKie's documentary profile of a woman who underwent

implant surgery and a second who considered it. The story aired on The

Sunday Edition, July 1, 2001.

Every year thousands of Canadian women have breast implants. Some have

them to replace breasts lost to cancer but the majority simply wants a

bigger, firmer, shapelier bosom. In fact breast enhancement is one of the

most popular forms of plastic surgery in North America.

* Join our Breast Implant message board

But the desire for bigger breasts is only one side of the story. There's

another side that doesn't get much attention anymore. It's the story of

the thousands of women who became sick after having breast implants that

contained silicone gel. The use of the implants was restricted in the

early 1990s because the manufacturers couldn't prove they were safe.

Today, these " silicone women " are still sick but they are told that their

illnesses are not caused by their implants, despite the fact that

thousands and thousands of women who had silicone breast implants have

only one thing in common ã their medical symptoms.

After silicone implants were taken off the market for mass distribution,

saline implants, considered an imperfect replacement, became the only type

widely available in North America. Saline is a salt-water solution. Women

are told that if saline implants rupture there is no risk because the salt

water will simply move through the body and be excreted in their urine.

But doctors are seeing cases where the saline becomes contaminated with

bacteria, creating health problems similar to those that the " silicone

women " experienced.

Implants to return?

Most recently there has been talk of bringing silicone implants back into

general use. The new improved version is said to be more like Jell-o

rather than the liquid of the past and that is said to guarantee that,

should the implants rupture, silicone will not be released into the body.

In 1999, Health Canada began a special access program to allow some women

to receive silicone breast implants. The plastic surgeon must apply to

Health Canada, giving medical reasons why silicone would be a better

choice. So far more than 400 women have received silicone implants under

the special access program.

On this Web site you will hear the stories of women who have had silicone

and saline breast implants. You can listen to doctors talk about the pros

and cons of silicone and saline implants. You will find links to chat

groups, support groups, information about class action suits in Canada and

the United States, and regulatory sites such as Health Canada and the FDA

in the U.S.

One thing everyone on both sides of the issue agrees with is that women

need to be informed before making a decision to get breast implants. And

that information should not come only from plastic surgeons or friends and

neighbours. Health Canada has information on its Web site.

There were class action lawsuits against manufacturers. Some were settled

out of court, but the largest, against Dow Chemical, is still stuck in

litigation. In the meantime, the " silicone women " have received no money.

They are still sick. They are angry. While they fight their own cases,

they are also waging a campaign to have the devices banned on both sides

of the border. These warriors say if they're not successful, a new

generation of women will be doomed to the same fate of ill-health and

misery.