It seems impossible that the Food and Drug Administration would pull a device from the market because of grave health concerns, then, fifteen years later, to allow the same device back on the market with only limited restrictions, but that is exactly what happened with silicone breast implants.From cancer to fibromyalgia, silicone breast implants had been anecdotally linked to a host of illnesses, so, despite the fact that there had been no scientific evidence to support such links, in 1992 the FDA and implant manufacturers decided to restrict the implants from use in breast augmentation, although they would still be available for reconstruction operations.

Then in 2006, the FDA re-approved the devices for use in breast augmentation.Breast implant manufacturers and cosmetic surgeons were excited about the return of a positive option for cosmetic surgery patients.After all, 90 % of women worldwide given the choice choose silicone breast implants for breast augmentation, so it seemed a shame that women in the United States should be denied the choice.However, surgeons and manufacturers were concerned that patients, after all the anti-silicone propaganda, would be reluctant to return to silicone.

The good news is that women are returning to silicone, although perhaps not as fast as manufacturers might like. The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery tracks silicone and saline breast implant surgeries, and it found that in 2007, the first full year saline implants were improved for use, nearly 40 % of breast augmentation operations were performed with silicone.Further, if we exclude operations performed with either transaxillary or transumbilical endoscopic breast augmentation procedures, which can only be performed with silicone implants (between 15-20 % of the total number of operations), this means that silicone implants and saline implants are nearly equal in popularity, and as women see the cosmetic results achievable with silicone implants, that popularity can only be expected to improve, although it is unlikely that they will achieve the same level of popularity in the United States that they enjoy in the rest of the world.

If you would like to learn more about silicone breast implants, contact Dr. Vasdev Rai at the Cosmetic Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas, today for a consultation.