Ten years. How many women, among the 48,000 who had a breast implant in France in 2014, know that the lifespan of a prosthesis is limited and that they will have to go back to the operating table?
No one really knows. It is precisely for this reason that the Ministry of Health published a decree on November 22 to reinforce the information of those who have recourse to this cosmetic surgery. This text comes as the appeal trial of Jean-Claude Mas is being held in Aix-en-Provence, reminds us of Marc Payet in The Parisian.
The founder of the company Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) was sentenced at first instance to 4 years in prison for aggravated deception. The company had marketed prostheses whose gel was not compliant. As a result, nearly 5,000 implants ruptured.
From now on, surgeons will have to provide patients with a detailed estimate and all the data before placing an implant: its lifespan, possible complications, risks (rupture) and adverse effects. “Twenty-three women in France have developed anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) caused by prostheses,” reports the daily.
Finally, an “implant card” will be given to patients to ensure traceability of the type of prosthesis placed. A measure that seems obvious. But the case of the PIP implants had shown that this system is far from being generalized. Health authorities have had great difficulty locating all the victims of the PIP scandal.
