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Silicone-gel implant use questioned by lawmaker

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) yesterday questioned the legality of silicone gel implants in Taiwan and advised women wanting breast augmentation surgery to stay away from such implants in the absence of clear regulations.

Huang made the call at a press conference, where she said a number of plastic surgeons have been advertising their use of silicone gel implants despite the fact the Department of Health (DOH) has not officially approved their use.

Silicone gel implants are an alternative to the more popular and cheaper saline-filled implants.

They hit the spotlight last week after medical malpractice allegations were made against plastic surgeon Lee Chin-liang (李進良).

A woman, surnamed Hong, alleged that Lee botched her breast augmentation surgery, resulting in disfigurement. Hong told prosecutors that Lee had put silicone gel implants in her breasts. She provided documentation from the Taipei Medical University Hospital to back her claim.

Lee has said that the implants he used were saline-filled.

“These [silicone gel] implants are definitely not legal in Taiwan,” Huang said, adding that the silicone gel implants were only approved in October last year for breast reconstruction, not augmentation.

The regulations appear to be lax, however, because a number of plastic surgeons are advertising augmentations using silicone gel implants, Huang said.

She said she had received a mixed response from the health department about its enforcement of the regulations governing such procedures.

While the DOH has said it’s a matter for local health departments, the local agencies said they have not received any instructions from the department, the lawmaker said.

“Illegal advertisements for silicone gel implants are supposed to be investigated by [local governments],” Huang Hsiau-wen (黃小文), a senior researcher at the Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs, told the press conference.

However, she said she was not clear under whose jurisdiction the actual illegal procedures would come under.
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