With the story about leaking / rupturing breast implants still making headlines and causing women to lose sleep, estimates suggest that the problem could be worse than earlier thought. All this has led to the WHO issuing guidelines regarding faulty breast implants, to women to seek medical attention.
Earlier, the scandal regarding use of substandard silicone breast implants made from material that was meant for industrial use had broken, causing women untold worry and anxiety.
About 300,000 women in 65 different countries have received the faulty industrial grade implants from Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), a company based in southern France which is now known to have become defunct with those chiefly responsible probably absconding.
While countries such as France, the Czech Republic and Germany have recommended that the implants be removed as a precaution, such a recommendation has not been issued in the UK.
It is now being claimed that the rates of failure of these breast implants is even higher than earlier estimates and that many more implants have ruptured than that has been reported so far.
Though the implant scare is concentrated in mainland Europe and the UK, women elsewhere can also benefit from the WHO guidelines issued in regarding the faulty implants:
- Any woman, who suspects that she could be having a rupture or malfunctioning of her implant or having any other concern, should consult a physician.
- If she has any pain or inflammation or other discomfort should consult the doctor.
- Women should educate themselves about the recommendations and guidelines issued by the health authorities of their own countries and should act accordingly.
On the positive side however, there have been some desirable fallout from the breast implant scandal. It is reported that in the wake of the stories of the faulty implants continuing to surface there is the likelihood that the Britain’s cosmetic industry will be required to adhere to tighter norms and will be subjected to more stringent regulations.
Though cosmetic surgeons are usually well skilled professionals, there is a segment of the market where shady operators do operate which is not as well monitored. There is now the need not only for better monitoring and regulation, but also to increase consumer confidence.
Hopefully the scandal will act as a cautionary story for other nations to ensure better regulations and safety guidelines for women seeking cosmetic surgery so they don’t meet the same fate as their European sisters.
