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Article: Breast implants for reconstruction: a closer look.
- Article from:
- Women's Health Activist
- Article date:
- November 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 National Women's Health Network. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Of the tens of thousands of American women each year who undergo mastectomies, approximately 75 percent go on to have one or both breasts surgically reconstructed, according to breastcancer.org. Roughly half of these women opt for surgery that rebuilds the breast using their own body tissue. Most of the rest decide on artificial implants.
The National Women's Health Network is extremely concerned about the safety of breast implants, and we believe that no implant should be approved without long-term data on safety and effectiveness. Yet despite a dearth of this data, breast implants are available in this country. Silicone gel-filled implants were first introduced ...