Department of Health officials downplayed speculation that cohesive gel silicon breast implants were on the cusp of being approved for use in Taiwan.
Silicon implants have been banned since 1992 because of serious health risks caused by liquid silicon leaking into the body.
JELLO
However, a new generation of cohesive gel implants -- also known as "jello implants" (果凍矽膠) because of their texture -- have been hailed as a safer alternative.
"Since the implant is not a liquid but a coherent mass, there's no risk of leakage, even in the event of a rupture," Taiwan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery director Lin Ching-yun (
Lin also extolled the physical properties of the implant.
`A BIT OF GIVE'
"It's not like saline implants that make you feel like you have two rocks strapped to your chest. They move with the body. When you lie down, they don't stick straight up. When two people hug, they have a bit of give," Lin said, adding that a lot of women have been waiting for the approval of cohesive gel implants.
"Some are foregoing saline implants because they want to have the jello implant instead," Lin said.
SAFETY REVIEW
A committee of specialists will convene later this month to review the safety of the implants.
However, Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs Director Liao Chi-chou (廖繼州) advised women not to bank on positive results.
"There are still a lot of question marks," Liao said. "The committee will look at all the available evidence carefully. Approval is by no means a slam dunk."
"I personally feel that it is quite dangerous. Women could have an allergic reaction, an immune reaction or even go into toxic shock," Liao said.
HARDER DIAGNOSES
"Most seriously, the implant could make breast cancer much more difficult to diagnose," Liao said.
Mammograms have difficulty distinguishing between silicon implants, scar tissue caused by implants, small, hard lumps of tissue -- known as granulomatosis -- triggered by implants, and tumors, Liao said.
FOLLOW-UPS
Although the US Food and Drug Administration has approved various cohesive gel implants, women getting the implants are required to undergo annual Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests over a period of two years following the operation to detect the presence of possible tumors.
After that, women will need to undergo an MRI test every other year.
If the implants are approved in Taiwan, women will have to cover the expensive tests with their own money, Liao said.
"As silicone implants are not a necessary medical device," Liao said, "we will have to ensure that they meet a high level of safety before we allow them on the market."
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