Medical negligence and cosmetic surgery specialist, Oliver Thorne, looks at the legacy of the PIP breast implant scandal
Ever since Timmie Jean Lindsey underwent the first silicone breast implant in 1962, concerns have been expressed about the concept of breast augmentation surgery. It has been reported that Lindsey herself has suffered intermittent pain since the 1980’s. However, following her pioneering surgery, millions of women have gone under the knife: some in a quest to find the perfect body, others for medical reasons, such as reconstruction following breast cancer surgery.
In 1991 the French company Poly Implant Prosthese was formed and the manufacture of their silicone gel implants commenced. The PIP scandal that followed was sparked when a surgeon advised against using PIP implants in 2007. PIP implants were made using industrial grade silicone and were supplied to an estimated 300,000 women.
British surgeons were ordered to stop using PIP implants in 2010. By the end of that year surgeons were required to identify women who had been given PIP implants. The authorities in France recommended removal of PIP implants, but in Britain we chose not to follow suit, insisting there was no need to take such action.
It was not until 2012 that the NHS started offering removal of PIP implants. However, while the NHS agreed to remove the implants, they would not replace them with another implant. As a result, cosmetic surgeons in the private sector became overrun with women wanting replacement implants
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