Anatomy of a Breast Implant
Posted October 19th, 2009
by KiaKoko
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Have you ever wondered what a breast implant looks like after it’s been in your body for a while?
The body has a pretty amazing immune response to a breast implant, which is to treat it as a foreign object. The body’s immune system will form a capsule of collagen fibers around the implant, to wall it off from the rest of the body. This is an example of an implant from a 70+ year old woman. It’s interesting because it is one of the earlier silicone-filled implants which are no longer used today, and it’s also very interesting to see the capsule up close. Pretty cool huh.
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that’s gross but kinda cool at the same time…
FYI silicone gel implants were approved for use again in 2006.
You’re right Amanda. I think the new silicone gels are highly cross-linked, so they don’t spill if they’re cut open. Kinda like a gummy bear. I remember doing a report on that for an undergrad class. But you gave me an idea. I want to see what happens if I poke a hole in the implant, to see how easily the silicone spills out. They probably won’t let me, but now I’m curious and it might be worth it to ask.
Hi Kia,
MIT OpenCourseWare (http://ocw.mit.edu) is seeking a rights-friendly photo of a fibrous encapsulated silicon breast implant for an upcoming course publication on biomaterials / tissue interactions. If these are your own photos and you’d be willing to let us use one of them, could please contact me at the email provided?
Thanks!