Faulty implants should be removed
Women who had the PIP breast implants, thought to be unsafe, are being advised to have them taken out
A GOVERNMENT health agency has said all women who have PIP breast implants, thought to be dangerous, should have them removed.
Although the advice is not yet official, it was confirmed by health chiefs to newspaper Libération.
About 30,000 women in France are thought to have had the implants from Poly Implants Protheses, which have been found to be made with non-surgical grade silicon and twice as likely to burst as other brands. They were manufactured in the Var, but much of the production went to Spain and also to Britain where around 50,000 women are concerned.
A Frenchwoman’s recent death from cancer is suspected to have been caused by gel leaking out and seven other cancer cases are now considered as possibly linked to the implants.
General Director of Health Jean-Yves Grall told Libération costs of removing the implants would be reimbursable by the state. However, remodeling of the breast, with new implants, is only reimbursed after breast cancer, a problem which is being contested by a pressure group for women concerned Association PPP.
A plastic surgeon, Professor Lantieri, said: “We are faced with a health crisis linked to a con. The whole profession is aware of it. There is no urgency and, but there is no longer any choice. It’s necessary to remove all the prostheses.”
He added: “People should not worry, but a principle of prevention must be applied.”
