There have been years and years of debate about the relationship between breast cancer and breast implants. Many years ago, patients have been afraid to undergo breast augmentation because they thought they would be more at risk of getting breast cancer. Nowadays, after decades of studies and research, experts have all agreed on the fact that there is no increased risk of developing breast cancer for patients who have breast implants.
Women who want to get bigger breasts by means of plastic surgery have two methods available nowadays. One entails the use of a saline solution or silicone implants inserted under the mammary gland or the pectoral muscles, while the other uses the patient’s own fat cells to increase the volume of the breasts. Both procedures have been deemed as safe for the patient, and the implants we use nowadays in the United States have the approval of the FDA.
Patients getting implants are not more at risk to get breast cancer as there has been determined the lack of relation between implants and the development of breast cancer. While we only know about a few of the causes of breast cancer, specialists all agree that getting implants is not one of them. Moreover, there might even be certain benefits associated with getting breast implants.
Before getting implants, the patient needs to take a breast echography or a mammography test to ensure that everything is okay with the tissues of the breasts. If any unidentified nodules are revealed by these imagistic tests, the procedure will be postponed until the patient knows for sure what they are. After undergoing plastic surgery to get bigger breasts, patients are advised to go have a test each year starting when the recovery process is completed. A mammogram can be a good method to discover the early signs of breast cancer, and having one of these tests performed every year can help patients with implants discover breast cancer in the early stages and hence have increased chances of fighting and winning the battle.
Patients with implants are at risk just like patients without implants to develop breast cancer. To discover the condition as early as possible, make sure to get a mammogram each year after turning 40 years old.
It is true that the procedure can be less revealing for patients with implants. However, nowadays there is a special technique that can be used for women with implants to get accurate results after the mammogram. Complications can occur after a mammogram such as implant rupture due to the pressure during the tests, so to get the best results possible, make sure to let the technician performing the procedure know that you have implants.