In 2010, it was revealed that French company PIP had manufactured breast implants using non-medical grade silicone, posing serious health risks to thousands of women worldwide. This scandal prompted urgent action from health authorities and plastic surgery societies across Europe. At Blooming, patient safety is always our first priority. In this article, we explain what the PIP implant scandal involved, how to find out whether you have PIP implants, and what steps to take if you are concerned. We encourage any patient with questions to contact our team immediately.
Patients who have been operated on by the plastic surgeons of Kliniek Blooming (RKZ Beverwijk and KG Haarlem) can be assured that no PIP breast implants were used for reconstruction or breast augmentation.
Below you will find the advice from the NVPC regarding PIP breast implants.
In response to ongoing questions from your side, from patients and the media, here once more is a brief summary of the current situation regarding the PIP implant and M-implants.
1. There is a clearly increased risk of rupture of the shell of these implants.
2. The French manufacturer used industrial-grade silicone instead of medical-grade silicone. Research from France has not demonstrated toxicity of this industrial silicone, and there is also no increased risk of (breast) cancer. It is, of course, highly undesirable that this type of silicone was used for this application.
3. The advice is to always have the PIP implants or M-implants removed. If the implant has ruptured, the advice is urgent; in the case of an intact implant the advice stands, but there is less time pressure. The final decision always remains with the patient.
4. When the problems with these implants first came to light, the IGZ contacted the clinics that had used them and asked them to proactively reach out to the treated patients. As far as is known, this has taken place. However, a number of clinics had ceased to exist and/or had inadequate records. The estimate that approximately 1,000 patients in the Netherlands are affected comes from this investigation by the IGZ.
The plastic surgeons affiliated with Kliniek Blooming, RKZ Beverwijk and KG Haarlem use Natrelle and Eurosilicone implants.