This could be a blow to medical tourism. There is apparently an unusual rate of silicone leakage from the implants made by a french firm by the name of Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP). This company was liquidated in 2010, but 300,000 implants were already sold for cosmetic breast augmentation world wide. The implants were used in Australia, South America and many European countries. The french government would pay to remove all PIP implants, but only the reconstructive patients would be eligible for replacement of their implants. The silicone in the PIP implants were of industrial grade which is not approved for breast implants. There is also concern about the risk of cancer with these implants. This should serve as a warning for people who would go to other countries to get inexpensive plastic surgery.
