Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Blog – Harley Medical Group

Women in Brazil are more than happy to have breast implants fitted, and also to enthuse about them to their friends, according to a US fashion news website.

A report by fashionista.com said there is considerable demand in the country for small breast implants, which have become known as ‘Brazilian Bs’. And what is more, women who have opted for the cosmetic surgery procedure are happy to talk about their new breasts.

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The founder of a French company which manufactured faulty breast implants has been arrested by police.

Jean-Claude Mas was woken by officers at this morning at his partner’s house in the south of France.

Mr Mas’ company, Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), was responsible for the production of breast implants containing non-medical grade silicone. The company was shut down in 2010 after it came to light that implants had instead contained industrial-grade silicone.

According to a report by The Guardian newspaper, a deputy chief executive of the company was also arrested, along with the 72-year-old. They can now be questioned by police for 48 hours.

The implants were given to an estimated 400,000 women around the world. News that they contained substandard silicone led to widespread concern at the end of 2011 following the French government’s decision to advise 30,000 affected women to have them removed.

More than 40,000 women in the UK had PIP implants fitted. However, a review by an expert panel, led by NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, concluded earlier this month that no evidence had been found to suggest PIP implants should be routinely removed.

If you are a patient of The Harley Medical Group and you have concerns about PIP, please visit our dedicated PIP information page.

Dr Hilary Jones, known for his regular appearances on ITV’s morning television programmes, has revealed his personal views on PIP implants.

According to online publication Cosmetic News, Dr Jones said private clinics should not be held responsible for providing patients with the implants which were used “in good faith”.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said last week that following a review of evidence by medical experts, no link had been found between PIP implants and cancer. He also said there was not enough evidence to recommend the routine removal of the implants.

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The NHS in Wales will remove and replace PIP breast implants for all women who have been clinically assessed as needing this surgery.

Any patient looking to have their PIP implants on the NHS in Wales removed will need to provide evidence that they are a Welsh resident and registered with a GP in Wales. This announcement was made on Tuesday (10) following an announcement on Friday (6) that women who had PIP implants on the NHS originally would be eligible for removal and replacement if in critical need, and removal only for private patients.

It is thought that the number of women in Wales who have been affected is relatively low.

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said: “We announced last week that the NHS in Wales will remove PIP implants if, informed by an assessment of clinical need, a woman with her doctor decides that it is right to do so.

“We said then that we would replace implants which were put in by the NHS, and today we are going one step further by announcing we will also replace those which were put in privately.

“Removing the implants and not replacing them could result in unsightly scarring, loose skin, and potentially the accumulation of fluids, need for drainage, and risk of infection. Putting women through two separate operations also increases unnecessarily the risk of complication.”

Yesterday (Sunday) the Health Ministry in Israel, along with the Israeli Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery (ISPAS) announced it would not be recommending the wholesale replacement of PIP breast implants.

In support of the decision, the chairman of the ISPAS said: “According to the data that has been accumulated, there is no order to replace the implants and they represent no danger, so long as no leakage has been proven.”

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Some women with French-made PIP breast implants remain confused following new advice from the British government, according to a report in the New York Times.

The UK’s health secretary Andrew Lansley said on Friday that following a review, no evidence had been gathered to support the routine removal of PIP implants which were given to an estimated 40,000 women in Britain.

Announcing the findings of the review panel, headed by NHS medical director Professor Bruce Keogh, Mr Lansley also said no evidence had been found to link the implants with a cancer risk due to the materials used.

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The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia has responded to speculation on health concerns surrounding Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) breast implants, saying there is no evidence to suggest increased risks to health.

A panel of experts from the TGA met yesterday to discuss the implications for women who have had such implants and agreed that there was no evidence to support a greater rupture rate in PIP implants compared to other breast implants. In addition they found that there was no adverse effect caused by the chemicals used to make them.

TGA national manager Rohan Hammett said: “There is no evidence of cancer-forming chemicals in the implants and there have been no reports to the TGA of the rare cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, associated with PIP implants in Australia.”

“The best available expert clinical advice is that there is no current evidence in Australia to support removal of PIP implants in women in whom the implant has not ruptured.”

Further reports on PIP are expected to be published in the coming days.

The coastal city of Miami, in the US state of Florida, has the most vain residents in the country, according to a new poll.

Research carried out by daily deals website LivingSocial, found that most of the city’s residents said they were “a seven”, when asked to rank themselves on a scale of one to 10 with regard to their looks.

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No evidence has yet been found to suggest breast implants manufactured by French firm PIP should be routinely removed, according to the UK health secretary.

A panel of experts, led by NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, has been established to look at data from across the industry with regard to rupture rates of PIP implants.

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The Independent Healthcare Advisory Services urges the government to conduct a thorough evidence based audit as it welcomes the review on pip implants.