In light of the scandal surrounding Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) and their discontinued faulty line of breast implants, Saudi Arabian cosmetic surgery specialists are urging all Saudi women with breast implants to consult their surgeons to ensure proper implant functioning. Dr. Ma'moun Daghestani, consultant cosmetic surgeon at the National Guard Hospital in Saudi Arabic, told ArabNews.com of the warnings issued as early as 2010 about the existence of contaminated silicone-gel breast implants and the risk of rupture in PIP products. While Reuters reports that as early as 2000, U.S. Health authorities and the FDA raised concerns about PIP's manufacturing practices – ten years before European regulators forced the company to shut down. At least one Saudi plastic surgery clinic was found supplying the faulty implants. Most women have little idea about the type of silicone used in breast implants. In response to the alarm and fear among patients, Daghestani urged affected Saudi women to consult their surgeon to ascertain the safety of their silicone implants. Daghestani and colleagues “frequently receive several calls and messages seeking clarification about this matter”, he adds, although most implants available in the Saudi market are safe to use and abide by international standards of health and quality. Over the last month, controversy surrounding the fraudulent practices of the now-banned French breast implant company, PIP, has consumed the minds of affected women as well as health officials in countries that provided them. The prosthetics contained unauthorized materials and had an allegedly high risk of rupture. The health- and cancer-risk of implantation and rupture is unknown. France's director for health, Jean Yves-Grall, said that the state would pay for the removal of the faulty implants for the estimated 30,000 French women with PIP prosthetics. According to ArabNews.com, the deputy executive president for medical equipment and products at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Dr. Saleh Al-Tayar, said that the contaminated silicone product did not enter Saudi Arabia through any SFDA entry points. In an interview with Asharq Al-Aswat, he said that the SFDA urges all hospitals and clinics within the Kingdom to ensure elimination of PIP's unregulated and potentially harmful product. The SFDA has issued a public media statement urging women who underwent breast implant procedures to approach their surgeons to assess any health risks. PIP was the world's third largest producer of silicone breast implants, until it was revealed that they, in an illegal move to lower prices, used an industrial-grade silicone often used in mattresses, electronics, and computer parts. Medical-grade silicone is only made by two companies, and by switching types PIP was able to charge a fraction of the cost for their prosthetics. Although the company was shut down last year, the product was not recalled. More than 100,000 PIP implants were supplied per year until 2010, and women from 65 different countries in Europe and South America are in possession of the unregulated implants. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/4ZQTS Tags: Implants, PIP Section: Health, Latest News, Saudi Arabia, Women
