Breast implant safety concerns continue to be a hot topic on every social media platform. Breast Implant Illness Awareness Day is February 13 and this year Bii survivors flooded social media and the internet with an awareness campaign that reached millions of people. Patients are sharing their journey of health complications with breast implants and their improved health after having the implants removed.
The demand for breast implants is the lowest it has been in decades, due to public concerns about systemic illness, autoimmune diseases, and multiple cancers that are associated with breast implants. The lack of transparency from the FDA and plastic surgeon community has eroded patient trust, and as a result there has been a drastic decline in the demand for breast implants and a rise in the number of breast implant removals (explant surgery).
Despite recent FDA announcements about multiple cancers associated with breast implants, patients are still not being properly informed of the risks. The various cancers were announced by the FDA in September 2022 and manufacturers have not updated patient labeling to reflect these critical safety concerns.
Additionally, two out of the four breast implant manufacturers in the United States have gone out of business in less than a year. The remaining companies are surrounded in controversy, recalls, and lawsuits. Is this the beginning of the end for breast implants? Time will tell.