Breast Enlargement Could Be Highly Risky, Warn Brit Plastic Surgeons

The cosmetic fillers used for breast enlargements could prove to be risky for women, warn Brit plastic surgeons.

According to the poll for the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), in the last one year, some surgeons have seen almost 10 to 12 women suffering complications following treatment with the injectable filler, Macrolane. Costing up to 3,000 pounds, the jab, which is manufactured by the firm Q-Med, contains a gel to help contour the body. Fillers are injectable substances commonly used to target wrinkles and smooth or plump up the skin.

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BAAPS issued a warning over "botched" procedures using Macrolane, saying almost one in three of 26 surgeons questioned had seen between one and 12 patients in the last year with problems.

The survey found that most complications appear to be with permanent fillers, with one in four surgeons saying they had carried out procedures to correct problems linked to their use.

Meanwhile, most (81 per cent) surgeons reported no serious complications stemming from temporary fillers and no need for surgery.

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Almost one in five (19 per cent) said up to 3 per cent of their patients had complications due to these types of fillers.

Nearly all surgeons (96 per cent) said fillers should be treated as a medicine (as in the USA) rather than as a "medical device", receiving a CE mark in the UK.

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The researchers attributed the complications for all kinds of fillers to unqualified staff not knowing how to use them correctly, patients being unaware of risks and side effects, and a lack of regulation which has allowed "unproven substances" to be used in the UK.

"I'm not surprised by the results of this survey as we have always voiced our concern over the lack of regulation in this area," the Telegraph quoted Nigel Mercer, consultant plastic surgeon and president of BAAPS, as saying.

He added: "The public must remember that just because they are non-surgical treatments, it doesn't mean they're non-medical and as such should always be administered by properly trained and qualified practitioners."

Source-ANI
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