A study by the Mayo Clinic has found that nearly one in four women who get breast implants may suffer from complications that require additional surgery. Women who got implants after breast cancer surgery were most at risk for complications with 34% requiring additional surgery within five years. Thirty percent of preventative mastectomy patients required additional surgery within five years, while 12% of women getting implants for cosmetic reasons had complications necessitating surgery within five years. The contraction of scar tissue around silicone implants was the most common problem following implant surgery, requiring additional surgery in 131 of the 178 women in the study who had second surgeries. Scar tissue hardens the breast and distorts its shape. Implant rupture or leakage, bruising, bleeding, infection, pain, and dead nipple tissue were some of the other complications. The study followed 749 women who had breast implant surgery between 1964 and 1991. Half of the complications occurred within the first year of the implant surgery.
A New York woman is suing her former jailer for $3 million for allegedly ignoring her complaints that her right breast implant was defective during her 1992 imprisonment in the Schenectady County jail. According to court records, the implant was removed in 1994 when Maryanne Sadelmyer was in state prison. Sadelmyer is suing for damages for indignities and pain in a trial scheduled for May 13 with a U.S. Magistrate in Albany.
