Between 1.5 and 2 million women currently have breast implants in the United States alone. According to an FDA study, more than half of those who have had silicone implants for 6-10 years, and 80% of those who have had implants for 10-15 years, will experience at least 1 broken implant, and 21% will have their implants migrate to another part of their body. Others still will experience ruptures, leakages and possible health complications, such as fibromyalgia and thyroid disease, that some researchers believe are linked to implant materials.

Nevertheless, more than 200,000 women in the US alone receive implants every year for cosmetic breast augmentation, and 80,000 will get implants for reconstruction (as a result of breast surgery or other medical reasons). And while most women now receive saline, and not silicone, implants, both implants employ silicone as the "envelopes" for the implant material. Not to mention that the saline implants have their own health hazards, including specific types of bacterial infections, according to some research. Studies indicate that implants may also make it difficult to diagnose breast cancer in its earliest stages.

For decades, women who have undergone breast implant surgery have reported high implant failure rates and general, unidentifiable illness. In 1992, silicone gel-filled implants were subject to government moratoriums in the United States and in Canada, until such time as their safety could be assured. In the years that have followed, researchers have tried to find answers. In the meantime, breast implantation continues to become more and more popular, with saline-filled implants taking the place of their silicone predecessors.

Many women who choose breast implantation are very happy with the results of their surgery. They report psychological and emotional benefit from their new body image. However, many women report side-effects and feel that their short-term and long-term health has been compromised.

In Canada, thousands of women have chosen breast implant surgery, including an estimated 25,000 or more in British Columbia alone. As in all of North America, approximately 20% of these surgeries are for reconstruction after cancer or prophylactic mastectomy, or to correct under- or non-developed breasts. The other 80% are performed as cosmetic augmentation. Such surgery is not considered “essential” and is therefore paid for privately rather than through public insurance. However, if there are health consequences to this surgery – ranging from the well-established local complications to the very controversial systemic complications – these women enter the public health care system for their care.

Breast implant research is beset by challenges, not the least of which is the lack of a central registry allowing health care professionals or researchers to track women who receive breast implants or to do any follow-up. But we do know that a very high number of women have been affected by breast implant-related complications. A Mayo Clinic study in the United States, for example, found that 25% of women with breast implants suffered local complications requiring additional surgery within five years. We also know that there were 103,343 adverse reaction reports associated with silicone breast implants and 23,454 reports involving saline implants received by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between January 1, 1985 and September 17, 1996.

In a recent study, researchers at the BC Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health have discovered relatively high complication rates for breast implantation in Canada as well. Data collected from a study group of 147 women who had undergone breast implant surgery were compared to data from a non-implant comparison group (583 women). Researchers found that women who have or have had breast implants visited doctors and specialists significantly more than women who had not undergone implant surgery. The study also indicated that women with breast implants were more than four times as likely to be hospitalized, and that the number of hospitalizations they experienced over the study period was significantly higher than among women without implants.

The researchers also found that over half (51%) of respondents from the study group reported at least one additional breast-implant related surgery subsequent to the initial implantation. Of those, half (49%) had undergone one additional surgery, 23% had undergone two, 11% had undergone three, and 17% had undergone four or more additional surgeries. For some of these women, the complications were enough to convince the women that they no longer wanted breast implants. 40% of respondents had had their implants permanently removed.

Breast implant surgery is not deemed medically necessary and is performed – and paid for – privately in the vast majority of cases. However, it appears to directly contribute to an increased need for public health care services among the women receiving these devices. If, as the literature suggests, serious local complication rates are at least 25% – and more likely are 50% or higher – there are many thousands of women in Canada who are using greater health care resources as a result of this surgery, and whose health and well-being may be at risk.