PIP implants’ safety – the NHS verdict is in

Following on from their interim report in January this year, the NHS expert group’s final report into PIP implants has now been published.

The main findings from the report are as follows:

• PIP implants have a higher rupture rate than other brands – around 2-6 times higher.
• Silicone gel from ruptured PIP implants poses no significant risk to human health – it is not toxic, nor carcinogenic.
• Ruptured PIP implants may cause local reactions in a minority of women, including tenderness and swollen nymph nodes.

These findings corroborate what the group found in January, meaning the message to patients remains unchanged.

Though they do not believe PIPs pose a threat to women’s long-term health, anxiety over the threat of rupture is itself a form of health risk, so worried women should speak to their surgeon if possible, or their GP.

It remains the case that any woman in the UK who received PIP implants from the NHS is entitled to have them removed and replaced free of charge.

For women who received their PIP implants privately – in England or Scotland, the NHS will remove them for free, but not replace them. And in Wales, the NHS will both remove and replace.

The expert group was led by NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh and studied information on 240,000 implants of different makes used in England, as well as detailed findings from 5,600 implant removals.

In particular, the group collected and reviewed all available data on estimated rupture rates, clinical data on findings when implants are removed, and details of the chemical composition of the silicone gel used in PIP implants.

Aurora Clinics have never used PIP implants on any of our patients, but we have removed and replaced them for more than 160 women. Contact us if you’d like any more information about PIP breast implants, whether you are interested in removal and replacement, or are simply looking for expert and impartial advice. Call us on 01324 578290 to book a free consultation or drop us an email to info@aurora-clinics.co.uk.