Letter to Ottawa Citizen

[Guest guest]

From: Lea

lea evansSent: Friday, February 28, 2003 11:21 AM

Subject: Letter to Ottawa Citizen

I would like to comment on your recent article on

breast implants entitled " Breast implants are back as

fears subside " .

After more than ten years of fighting the

manufacturers who make breast implants and the plastic

surgeons who insert them, I have realized that there

are two self-evident truths surrounding this

controversy. One is that there is no such thing as a

safe implant; the other is that plastic surgeons

continue to deceive prospective clients. The comments

made by Dr. Walter s are just another example of

why plastic surgeons are considered by their implant

victims to be the used-car salesmen of the medical

community.

s says that there have been 17 studies that

satisfy him that breast implants are safe. He doesn't,

of course, mention that there have been--over many

years--literally hundreds of peer-reviewed studies

that damn them for what they really are--deadly

devices! s also forgot to tell your readers that

the 17 studies were all bought and paid for by the

manufacturers of breast implants; moreover, he ignores

that these studies were all done after the early 1990s

when the manufacturers and plastic surgeons went into

panic damage control!

In addition, if s was one of the authors of the

IOM's " Safety of Silicone Breast Implants " report,

then he knows or should know that the report did not

give implants a clean bill of health. It did, however,

conclude that a great deal of further research has to

be done.

It is unfortunate that plastic surgeons are given this

opportunity to freely advertise their wares in the

media. And it is tragic that yet another generation of

eighteen-year-olds with " small breast disease! " will

rush to make an appointment with s and his kind.

These young women would be much better advised to heed

the words of Dr. Blais (who was quoted in your

article) or to read a recently published brochure

(2002) by Command Trust Network, " Are Breast Implants

for You? " , which is based on the facts and not on the

money-driven propaganda served up by greedy and

uncaring plastic surgeons.

Thank you