Women's health after plastic surgery

Abstract

No association was found between augmentation mammoplasty exposure and various connective tissue diseases and/or their related features. However, axillary adenopathy and low titre ANA were detected more frequently in the exposed cohort. Women with axillary adenopathy were more likely to have breast capsular contracture and report digital vasospasm post-dating surgery. Given comparable frequencies of higher titre ANA of both cohorts, the finding of elevations of low titre ANA is of dubious clinical significance.

Augmentation mammoplasty and ‘silicone‐osis’

“…Numerous clinical signs (previously listed) were assessed from which to determine the presence or absence of connective tissue disease, autoimmune-related thyroid disease or fibromyalgia as well as regional assessment of the index plastic surgical site and regional adenopathy. Most of these findings were discussed in a previous paper, 27 which demonstrated comparability between groups in terms of disease phenotypy, with one exception, axillary adenopathy, which occurred more commonly in the exposed cohort. In view of the overall comparability, clinical signs were omitted from the current analysis.…”

“…The unusual features which impinged on this study's design, performance and analysis have been previously discussed. 27 Specific to this paper was the concern about symptom reporting bias from exposed cohort patients, most of whom were aware of the breast implant health controversy from media sources, and many had apparently also been approached by litigation firms to join class action proceedings against breast implant manufacturers. As a result, several symptoms ('red herring' symptoms) not previously associated with ill health following breast augmentation were included among the symptoms allegedly associated with breast augmentation.…”