Many women may consider breast augmentation for simply cosmetic reasons, or as part of recovery after a mastectomy. The National Center for Health Research reports that breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic surgery for women. 

However, many women may worry about possible complications and risks associated with the procedure. Some conditions have raised concern over the years because of their possible association with breast implants. One question that caused concern in the 1990s was whether or not breast implants cause lupus. Now, research suggests that lupus may not be a risk associated with breast implants.

What Materials Are Used in Breast Implants?

Breast implants are usually silicone sacs filled with either sterile salt water or silicone. In some cases, implants that are filled with sterile water also contain an inner structure to provide a more natural feel to the implant. This type of implant is called a structured saline breast implant.

Another kind of silicone breast implant is called a “gummy bear breast implant.” They gained their name because they are form stable and maintain their shape if the shell is broken, unlike other breast implants which will leak if the shell is broken.

Breast implants can either be smooth or textured. Textured implants can provide the benefit that they can stay in place more easily than smooth implants, but smooth implants can feel more natural. While textured implants may stay in place longer and be less likely to migrate from their initial position, these implants may also be more likely to result in the development of health conditions or cancer.

Are Breast Implants Safe?

Like any surgery, breast augmentation surgery comes with risks. Breast augmentation surgery comes with the risk of infection, complications with anesthesia or other issues, and patients whose surgery goes wrong may require revision surgery.

During a breast augmentation surgery, breast implants are placed behind the breast tissue or under the chest muscle, says MedlinePlus. The addition of a foreign object (the implant) may pose additional complications.

Textured breast implants may cause a capsule of scar tissue or fluid to form around the implant. In some cases, this capsule may lead to a type of cancer called breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons notes that some risks associated with the procedure also include:

• bleeding
• hematoma
• changes in sensation of breast and nipples, including loss of sensation
• scarring problems
• incorrect implant positioning
• movement of the implant from the correct position
• implant rupture or leakage
• capsular contracture (occurrence of tight scar tissue forming around the implant)
• seroma (fluid accumulation)
• wrinkled, puckered skin around the implant
• pain

Can Breast Implants Cause Lupus?

VeryWell Health reports that one study conducted in 1996 indicated that women with silicone breast implants may have a higher risk of connective tissue disease than women without breast implants. 

This led to some people in the medical community to worry that breast implants cause lupus, an autoimmune disease. One kind of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus, in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue like skin, joints, kidneys, the brain, and other parts of the body.

The concern over the possible connection between silicone breast implants and connective tissue problems caused the FDA to remove silicone breast implants from the market.

However, the study that raised this concern was found to be faulty, after which point the concern over the link between breast implants and connective tissue diseases decreased. In 2006, silicone breast implants were reintroduced into the market, and are now viewed as safer.

A study published in 2018 appears to confirm the link between breast implants and the development of health conditions that affect the immune system. The Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center conducted the study, using data derived from the FDA’s database of patient outcomes going back to 2006.

According to the results of the study, researchers found an association between autoimmune diseases and breast implants. An association was also found between implants and some types of cancer, including melanoma and breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Other conditions found to be potentially linked to breast implants were scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, and dermatomyositis.

Although the study’s authors did not posit that the breast implants cause lupus or any of the other conditions reported by the approximately 100,000 patients included in the study, they did report that these conditions were more likely to occur in people with breast implants. Some conditions such as scleroderma, Sjogren syndrome, and dermatomyositis, were found to occur in patients with silicone implants more than twice as often as the general public.

What Other Conditions Are Associated with Breast Implants?

Some women who have had breast augmentation surgery report developing illnesses possibly connected to their procedure, including:

• Arthritis
• Brain Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• Connective Tissue Disease (CTD)
• Fibromyalgia
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Lung Cancer
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Respiratory Tract Cancer
• Sarcoidosis
• Scleroderma
• Sjögren’s Syndrome
• Vulva Cancer
• Others

Although it has not been proven that the implants can cause these illnesses, some research suggests that there may be a risk.

Learn More

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.