Breast Implant Forum - Panic From France Call for Removal Thousands PIP Implants

[DrBermant]

This should not be construed as medical advice. I am a retired Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

France calls for removal of thousands of risky breast implants

The horror show begins again. I stopped offering breast implants many years ago when I realized that lawyers and sensationalists would terrorize any patient with fears about what were great tools by ethical companies. Well Dow went out of the implant business and now we have what may be a bunch of criminals who have hurt the world with unethical use of non-medical grade silicone material for use in the human body.

Investigators say the company Poly Implant Prothese used cheaper industrial silicone for the implants instead of medical silicone to save money. The implants were pulled from the market last year and the company is being liquidated.

I do not know the particulars of this situation, but what gives? If this is the case, the offenders who put that material into a device intended for use in humans should be put into prison. If any marketing individuals or physicians were knowledgeable about such a tactic, they should be put away also. Were these implants less expensive for the patient or was the added "savings" pocketed by the company? If any of the surgeons knew that the implants were made of non-medical grade materials, they should not only lose their licenses but also be put in prison. I only hope the scam was from the French implant company alone.

It boggles my mind that France would cover only French patients with this problem. Any solutions should be for any patient and doctor tricked by such methods. This "French" solution, even if warranted, will spread panic in any person having such an implant.

Will a non-medical grade silicone hurt someone? Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends what safety factors were skipped in the manufacturing process that differentiates the higher safety factor for human use. What chemicals might be there be, what long term changes are expected, what other issues were skipped by this "cheaper" process? That is what should be discussed. Not this panic creating sensationalism. In reaction to this panic: UK says no need for mass removal of breast implants.

France Offers to Pay for Breast-Implant Removal is an unprecedented step. Over 1,000 ruptures in 30,000 implants statement is missing how long the implants were there. This is supposed to be twice the frequency of other implants in use today. That was part of the risk discussion about using implants from the beginning.

The claim is that the removal is preventive:

Bertrand insisted the removals would be "preventive" and not urgent, and French health authorities said they had found nothing to link the implants to nine cases of cancer in women. The death last month of a woman who had the implants and developed a rare cancer had catalyzed worries.

If they should be removed, why? What are the specific risks? What was found in the analysis of the non-medical grade materials? And for the rest of the tens of thousands of patients who are not in France, why are the French patients being covered and the rest not? If that country feels obligated to pay for the removal for French patients, what is their obligation for the rest of the world? What are the risks of the implant compared to alcohol or tobacco?

The Man Who Sold Sketchy Breast Implants has a discussion about the person involved who sold the devices. I like this quote:

A plastic surgeon who knew him has claimed that Mas’s previous line of work, fittingly, was as a butcher, and that he had no past medical experience. The plastic surgeon added that he personally didn’t use Mas’s implants because they were so cheap he suspected they were of low quality.

There is the protection factor of better medicine. If something is so much cheaper, why? What shortcuts or advances made it so much less expensive?  Better surgeons do try to protect their patients.

I am saddened by this turn of events. Implants are a great tool that can perform a spectacular service when risks are discussed and understood. However at the time I stopped using them, we were not dealing with unethical manufacturers.

This is supposed to be an implant by that PIP French company.

What are your thoughts, or comments?

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Plastic Surgery and Female Breast Sculpture

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[DrBermant]

This should not be construed as medical advice. I am a retired Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Breast implant scare: Interpol seeks French boss arrest. BBC 23 December 2011 Last updated at 19:14 ET

About time someone is trying to get that individual. But why did they wait so long? Why is this by Costa Rica? Why was there no story about the French seeking this individual or other members of his company?

Mas is wanted by Costa Rica for "life and health" offences, according to a notice posted on the website of the international police agency Interpol.

France, UK issue clashing advice on breast implants

Nigel Mercer of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons said the French move was "certainly not unreasonable" while British cosmetic surgeon Kevin Hancock said the divergent government responses would cause distress for British women.

more about the conflicting advice and confusion caused by France's strange decision. Suposidly removal would be approved. However, any new implant would be only covered if for "medical reasons" such are reconstruction.

Several PIP executives are expected to face charges of aggravated fraud in an ongoing court case in France, which exposes them to possible jail terms of up to five years.

Sorry in my opinion, only up to 5 years is not enough for such abuse of the system. An example should be set to discourage similar behavior.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Plastic Surgery and Female Breast Sculpture

[DrBermant]

@DrBermant what are you advising your patients with the suspect breast implants to do?

This should not be construed as medical advice. I am a retired Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

First as a retired Plastic Surgeon, I am no longer practicing so not offering specific medical advice. Second, I have never put a suspect device in a patient ever! I always researched my implants and rejected discount less expensive supplies if ever I had a doubt. Yes, I know I may have made more money over the years with cheaper materials, but my patients always came first. From what I have read, my suspicions would have been off the wall on the product as mentioned by the other doctor quoted above.

I had stopped using breast implants many years ago for 2 main reasons. With the lawyers and fanatics driving the anxiety level for anyone having an implant, I felt any patient would always have a degree of doubt and worry. I have always been busy enough to select what I wanted to do. So I felt it was not worth it. No matte what proof would eventually become available, there was just too much money being made driving the process for lawsuits.

The second reason I left the breast implant market, was I did not like how they moved on animation. My Standard Breast Reduction Pictures and Breast Lift Pictures components of lifting arms up overhead, flexing muscles, and bending over were my attempts to analyze the issues that implants cause destroying the natural look. My Standard Videos for Breast Reduction and Standard Videos for Breast Lift are even more critical of breast movement distorted by any implant I have ever seen placed. Have you ever wondered why doctors just do not show how these devices look in the body in motion, playing sports, or other activities?  Have you seen any that look good?  If so, here is a forum where you can show off those results. I have been searching for them for many years now and yet to have seen any.

When faced with the implant crisis many years ago, I followed the recommendations of the ASPS then called ASPRS and offered my patients the further education and option to have the implants removed. None wanted them out. But then we were dealing with ethical implant manufacturers and a wonderful product in my opinion. To my knowledge, none ever had problems. However, that was so many years ago and I have lost contact with those patients.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Plastic Surgery and Female Breast Sculpture

[DrBermant]

This should not be construed as medical advice. I am a retired Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Official: France’s health insurance agency to file complaint in breast implant scandal Sorry, this is sad that it took so long for someone to seek criminal charges for this tragedy. That Costa Rico beat them to the punch is pathetic.

The implants, made by now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese, were pulled from the market last year in countries around Europe and South America amid fears they could rupture and leak silicone into the body.

What has changed since the implants were pulled? Why were the charges not made back then? Are there any new facts in evidence? Or is this in response to the negligence of the French government and those charged with protecting the public and deflect the decisions made this week?

Update 12/24/11:
France Is Seeking Implant Executive

“It’s obvious we have to find him and those who had an interest in this company,” Health Minister Xavier Bertrand told Europe 1 radio on Saturday. “It’s a shady business with lots of money involved.”

Are you just discovering this now? What about when the implants were pulled from the market? Why the delayed response?



Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Plastic Surgery and Female Breast Sculpture