Silicon chemistry and silicone breast implants

Breast implants are applied to correct the size, form, and feel of a woman's breasts in post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, for correcting congenital defects and deformities of the chest wall, for aesthetic breast augmentation, and for creating breasts in the male-to-female transsexual patient. The most widely applied silicone implants have an elastomer silicone shell filled with viscous silicone gel. It has become increasingly clear that it is important for plastic surgeons to know and to provide patients with the latest information on silicone breast implants. This article was therefore written to provide more insight into the composition of silicone breast implants and their characteristics. After describing the chemical properties of silicones and silicone implants, gel bleeding and the consequences of aging of silicone implants will be discussed. The information provided can also give a hint as to why silicone implants have been consistently implicated in health issues ever since the late 1960s. Level of Evidence: Not ratable. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.