Leading Surgeon Recommends Removal of PIP Breast Implants

Article by
Kevin Timms

Tim Goodacre President of the British Association of Plastic and Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and one of the members on the government commissioned panel investigating the recent PIP breast implant scandal.

Mr Goodacre has told the Telegraph that the rupture rates found by the largest cosmetic surgery clinic in the UK were unacceptable.

He further stated that if the government confirm the findings that 1 in 14 implants have leaked then all PIP breast implants should be taken out. He told the Telegraph “with this sort of level of implant failure, particularly with this sort of material that isn’t medical grade, it is sensible that they be removed … I think that would be a reasonable way forward”.

However, it is not clear who would fund the cost of the removal as the cost to the industry could be £150M – this figure only being estimated at this present stage in time.

From the perspective of Garden House Solicitors, the cost to the cosmetic surgery industry would not be this high. The reason for this is that many clinics have already fallen into liquidation and would therefore not be able to pay for the removal of their former patients PIP breast implants. This could potentially apply to thousands of women. Therefore the government will be required to consider how to protect, as a preventative measure, women with PIP breast implant whose clinic in unable to fund removal of their PIP breast implants.

At present the Department of Health is only prepared to fund the removal of PIP breast implants where they have already ruptured and the silicone has migrated to the surrounding tissue.

However, we should not lose sight of the fact that women with PIP breast implants were provided with these implants by their clinics and in the majority of cases were not offered an alternative implant. Though the clinics bought these implants also, they purchased PIP breast implants as part of a commercial agreement whereas women with PIP breast implants purchased these implants as consumers. The UK prides itself on the protection of consumers and these consumers need protecting now. This is but one reason Garden House Solicitors have set up the National PIPBreast Implant Register.

The MHRA has been adamant until only last week that there are no health risks associated with PIP breast implants quoting a figure that only 1% of PIP breast implants in the UK have ruptured. This advice was turned upside down over the weekend when Transform, the UKs largest cosmetic surgery provider confirmed that its own figures since 2006 have shown that 7% of PIP breast implants have ruptured.

Andrew Lansley has requested that the MHRA review all their data over concerns that adverse incidents have been under reported.

The experts who have been asked to provide their opinion to the government panel include Mr Goodacre, Mr Fazel Fatah, president of BAAPS, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh the Medical Director of the NHS and Richard Rainsbury President of the Association of Breast Surgeons.

Garden House Solicitors are bringing PIP breast implant compensation claims against the clinics that provided PIP breast implants to women. We currently have a group action in the High Court in London and have received many new instructions recently. If you would like to make a claim please contact us for further information on infor@gardenhousesolicitors.co.uk or on 01992 422 128. Please state you are interested in making a claim.

Garden House Solicitors have also set up the National PIP Breast Implant Register. We urge everyone with PIP breast implants to Register their details on the National PIP Breast ImplantRegister. For more information on the National PIP Breast Implant Register please click here.

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http://www.gardenhousesolicitors.co.uk/ Tel: 01992 422 128