Silicones cosmetic surgery

Silicone mbbers have been widely used for medical applications, particularly for body implants in structural cosmetic surgery. One high-profile application has been that of breast implants, but the award in early 1994 of enormous damages by a US court in respect of faulty implants may discourage development of this application. 

An AOTF Raman chemical imaging system has been applied to the study of polymer inclusions in a biopsied section of human breast tissue. The polymer inclusions were believed to be Dacron polyester based on the patient s medical history and previous Raman and IR data [82]. Dacron polyester patches are occasionally employed to attach breast implants to the chest wall during reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. The problems associated with silicone implants, including rupture and release of silicone gel contained in these implants, have been well publicized [83]. The goal of this study was to visualize the distribution of polyester in the thin section prepared from tissue biopsies. 

Although rarely used, another urological prosthetic is an artificial testicle, a saline-filled silicone ball that when implanted, mimics the appearance and movement of a natural testicle. It was developed for use in reconstructive surgery on men whose testicle had been removed in the treatment of cancer. It carries a risk of rupture from a sports injury, and one in three cases requires a surgical adjustment within the first year. This prosthetic is not medically necessary and serves only a cosmetic purpose. Perhaps a model will be developed that will provide long-term delivery of testosterone. 

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