UK issues advice on breast implants:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The UK Department of Health has issued advice on breast implantation detailing: alternative breast reconstruction options; current thinking on the short-term side-effects and long-term potential complications involved in implantation; the issue of pregnancy and breast-feeding; and economic implications. It also provides a checklist of the issues to be considered by prospective patients. The booklet addresses a recommendation from the UK Independent Review Group on silicone gel implants, which in July 1998 called for the provision of free and comprehensive information on breast implantation. Increased concerns over recent years have led to the banning of silicone implants in Canada (since 1992), the US and France. The UK, however, considers that there is insufficient evidence to support a ban.