PIP breast implants no long-term health threat, say experts

Worried women who have been given the faulty implants will welcome the news that if the devices rupture they could cause irritation but will not have any significant lasting effects.

The NHS Medical Directors expert group said the gel materials used inside the implants are not toxic or carcinogenic.

Around 47,000 British women are believed to have been given the implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

They were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses and have been linked to rupture and swelling in the body.

But the experts warned that PIP implants are twice as likely to rupture as other brands.

The group, led by NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, found that after 10 years the PIP implants have a 15 to 30 per cent chance of rupturing. Other breast implant brands have a 10 to 14 per cent rupture rate in the same timeframe.

The experts said that if a PIP implant does rupture, it has been found to cause local reactions in a small proportion of women, which can result in symptoms such as tenderness or swollen lymph glands.

Prof Keogh said: “I sincerely hope this helps to reassure women that their long-term health is not at risk.”

The group, which studied information on 240,000 implants of differing brands that have been given to 130,000 women in England, also called for surgeons and clinics that have used PIP implants to contact their patients and share the latest information with them.

In January the Government announced that anxious women given PIP breast implants on the NHS would be able to have them removed free of charge, with private firms expected to offer the same deal.

However, it said any woman refused help by a private company would be able to visit their GP and access NHS care.

The latest data from the Department of Health shows that almost 750 women are to have the implants removed on the NHS – 490 of whom had their PIP implants put in at private clinics.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons said the report highlights the need for all implant providers to remove the devices – even if there are no symptoms of rupture.