Photo Credit: www.californiasurgicalinstitute.com
European media has now begun to point out the need for safety in plastic surgery after a series of breast implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese began to leak.
The issue with the implants is that the company uses non-medical-grade silicone, which has an increased risk of rupture. Once the gel inside the implant is released, it can inflame the surrounding tissue. Many worry, despite no evidence, that this could lead to an increased risk of cancer. Estimates of women who received these hazourdous implants are at 400,000 in 65 different companies.
PIP founder Jean-Claude Mas has been charged with involuntary injury. This incident has led policy professionals, journalists, and the public to question how the implants passed safety inspections.
Many are also questioning how the implants could have made it to so many women. A new study has revealed that cosmetic surgeries rose by 10.1 percent in 2011 and is expected to rise by another 11.12 percent in 2012.
People are also beginning to question who should help cover the costs to remove and replace the defective implants. Many insurance policies and national governments have said they will pay the bill for the implants removal, but the moral question that several officials are asking themselves though is whether the government should compensate for losses in botched vanity projects.
In France, the government has agreed to pay for new implants, but only if the originals were a result of reconstructive surgery. Germany is also trying to implement the same policy.
This policy has also received criticism though, as many point out the misconceived perception that people who get plastic surgery are rich. These critics point to the cosmetic surgery black market as evidence that less privileged people are also delving into vanity surgeries.
These critics are hoping that this will bring to light the dangers of the black market and hope that tighter regulations will come into existence.
