PIP implants
If you are worried about the PIP scandal, then please be assured that La Belle Forme has never used PIP implants. If you had your implants inserted before Mr Shoaib set up La Belle Forme, then please also be reassured that Mr Shoaib has never used PIP implants. If we have performed your breast implant surgery, then you have implants which carry a lifetime warranty against rupture. You will only have implants from one of three highly regarded companies:
Nagor make the Impleo range of round implants. They are made in the UK, in the West of Scotland and we are proud to use a very high quality implant with a good reputation, based right here in Scotland. This is Nagor's best round implant and we won't use anything less.
Mentor make saline (and silicone) implants and we use Mentor saline implants. There have been no reports of any concerns with these implants. In any case, these are saline implants and they don't contain silicone gel.
Allergan make two ranges of implants that we use: the teardrop shape range called the McGhan-410 range and round implants, called the Inspira Soft-Touch range. These are the only Allergan implants that we have used, as they are Allergan's best. The teardrop shaped implants have a proven track record of safety, effectiveness and lowered rates of complications.
Nagor make the Impleo range of round implants. They are made in the UK, in the West of Scotland and we are proud to use a very high quality implant with a good reputation, based right here in Scotland. This is Nagor's best round implant and we won't use anything less.
Mentor make saline (and silicone) implants and we use Mentor saline implants. There have been no reports of any concerns with these implants. In any case, these are saline implants and they don't contain silicone gel.
Allergan make two ranges of implants that we use: the teardrop shape range called the McGhan-410 range and round implants, called the Inspira Soft-Touch range. These are the only Allergan implants that we have used, as they are Allergan's best. The teardrop shaped implants have a proven track record of safety, effectiveness and lowered rates of complications.
Background information on PIP implants
The PIP story extends back several years, with over a decade of warnings about their quality. PIP implants have had a poor reputation from several different sources.
PIP implants have been banned in the past. In December 2000, the MHRA informed plastic surgeons not to use PIP Hydrogel implants: (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Safetywarnings/MedicalDeviceAlerts/Devicealerts/CON008915).
In 2007 it was reported in the medical literature that PIP implants were of poor quality and a plastic surgeon recommended we shouldn't use them. The surgeon noticed the implant was completely torn apart and it was a rupture of a magnitude he had not seen previously. (http://www.jprasurg.com/article/S1748-6815(07)00105-2/abstract)
In early 2010 plastic surgeons were advised to tell the MHRA about any implants that had ruptured. However, the MHRA did not say which implants it was specifically looking at. Many consultant plastic surgeons suspected the implants under specific investigation were PIP implants because of their poor reputation.
Finally, in April 2010 the MHRA advised all doctors not to insert PIP silicone implants. It was at this time that the high street chains stopped using PIP implants.
PIP implants were known to be the cheapest implants on the market. However, many women actually paid more for the cheap implants than the more expensive implants we use at La Belle Forme's, even though our prices are lower. We use breast implants made in the Scotland with a lifetime warranty against rupture from Nagor, and we use their most expensive range of implants - the Nagor Impleo range. Some women have reported that they were charged a premium price for the cheapest implants on the market. Most implants from other companies cost several hundred pounds but we have heard reports that PIP implants were much cheaper than this.
Our view is that surgeons who were aware of the medical literature and warnings, would not have used PIP implants. Plastic surgeons were warned three times over more than a ten year period not to use PIP implants. Some companies either ignored these warnings or simply didn't read the warnings. We have heard reports that high street chains often don’t use consultant plastic surgeons to perform their operations. Instead, they choose to use cosmetic surgeons, some of whom may not have completed formal quality training in plastic surgery (The Guardian, Jan 2012). There is a difference between a Plastic Surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon.
Plastic Surgeons have to undergo a rigorous training programme over several years, and on average it takes about 10-15 years to train a consultant plastic surgeon to the high standards expected of them. Anyone, on the other hand, can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon. A cosmetic surgeon does not have to pass stringent exams to ensure they have the right knowledge to practice safely. It is impressed upon all future plastic surgeons during their training to make sure they realise the value of keeping up to date with the medical literature. This is why Plastic Surgeons were aware of the dangers of PIP implants.
The only way to tell whether a surgeon is a proper plastic surgeon is to make sure they are registered as a Plastic Surgeon on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council. You can do this by searching the GMC website and looking for confirmation that the surgeon is on the specialist register in plastic surgery. Sometimes plastic surgeons fly in from abroad to operate on people in Britain, and UK plastic surgeons often ask themselves why, if the surgeons are so good, do they not have bustling practices in their own country. Most UK plastic surgeons have large practices in both the NHS and as private surgeons. Most UK plastic surgeons don’t need to travel abroad to work with agencies elsewhere.
As a result of the PIP scandal, the cosmetic medical industry is now being placed under the spotlight. Many plastic surgeons are welcoming this. In fact, all doctors and nurses should welcome greater regulation of the cosmetic industry. The PIP scandal shows what happens when regulations aren't enforced. The cosmetic medical industry is in better need of regulation of procedures, people and places. The right surgeon needs to do the right procedure on the right person using the right products and the right equipment.
Cosmetic surgery is in need of a greater degree of regulation. As an example, there are doctors performing liposuction who have no formal training in liposuction and other plastic surgery procedures. These doctors are not surgeons, let alone plastic surgeons. There are, in fact, GPs and Ear Nose and Throat surgeons performing liposuction. Our view is that if a doctor wants to perform Plastic Surgery procedures, he should train as a proper Plastic Surgeon.
The next thing in the cosmetic industry that will go under the spotlight of regulation will be dermal fillers. Currently, they are considered medical devices, and so in the UK we have over 100 fillers to choose from. In the US, for example, there are only around 10 dermal fillers licensed for use. The reason for the discrepancy is that in the UK dermal fillers are regulated by the MHRA whereas in the US they are regulated by the FDA, where regulations are stricter. Some of the dermal fillers available in the UK would not be used by reputable consultant plastic surgeons and yet they are available in the same way that most reputable plastic surgeons did not use PIP implants, yet they too were available for use.
Consultant Plastic Surgeons already see complications from some dermal fillers which cannot be treated by the administering practitioner. We see complications from treatments performed abroad and there have been some high profile cases of celebrities with untreatable complications. The MHRA has also banned certain dermal fillers in the past that have been used, though not by Consultant Plastic Surgeons. Most reputable clinicians will welcome better regulation of cosmetic procedures and this is probably going to be the next aspect of cosmetic treatments that will be scrutinised.
PIP implants have been banned in the past. In December 2000, the MHRA informed plastic surgeons not to use PIP Hydrogel implants: (http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Safetywarnings/MedicalDeviceAlerts/Devicealerts/CON008915).
In 2007 it was reported in the medical literature that PIP implants were of poor quality and a plastic surgeon recommended we shouldn't use them. The surgeon noticed the implant was completely torn apart and it was a rupture of a magnitude he had not seen previously. (http://www.jprasurg.com/article/S1748-6815(07)00105-2/abstract)
In early 2010 plastic surgeons were advised to tell the MHRA about any implants that had ruptured. However, the MHRA did not say which implants it was specifically looking at. Many consultant plastic surgeons suspected the implants under specific investigation were PIP implants because of their poor reputation.
Finally, in April 2010 the MHRA advised all doctors not to insert PIP silicone implants. It was at this time that the high street chains stopped using PIP implants.
PIP implants were known to be the cheapest implants on the market. However, many women actually paid more for the cheap implants than the more expensive implants we use at La Belle Forme's, even though our prices are lower. We use breast implants made in the Scotland with a lifetime warranty against rupture from Nagor, and we use their most expensive range of implants - the Nagor Impleo range. Some women have reported that they were charged a premium price for the cheapest implants on the market. Most implants from other companies cost several hundred pounds but we have heard reports that PIP implants were much cheaper than this.
Our view is that surgeons who were aware of the medical literature and warnings, would not have used PIP implants. Plastic surgeons were warned three times over more than a ten year period not to use PIP implants. Some companies either ignored these warnings or simply didn't read the warnings. We have heard reports that high street chains often don’t use consultant plastic surgeons to perform their operations. Instead, they choose to use cosmetic surgeons, some of whom may not have completed formal quality training in plastic surgery (The Guardian, Jan 2012). There is a difference between a Plastic Surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon.
Plastic Surgeons have to undergo a rigorous training programme over several years, and on average it takes about 10-15 years to train a consultant plastic surgeon to the high standards expected of them. Anyone, on the other hand, can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon. A cosmetic surgeon does not have to pass stringent exams to ensure they have the right knowledge to practice safely. It is impressed upon all future plastic surgeons during their training to make sure they realise the value of keeping up to date with the medical literature. This is why Plastic Surgeons were aware of the dangers of PIP implants.
The only way to tell whether a surgeon is a proper plastic surgeon is to make sure they are registered as a Plastic Surgeon on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council. You can do this by searching the GMC website and looking for confirmation that the surgeon is on the specialist register in plastic surgery. Sometimes plastic surgeons fly in from abroad to operate on people in Britain, and UK plastic surgeons often ask themselves why, if the surgeons are so good, do they not have bustling practices in their own country. Most UK plastic surgeons have large practices in both the NHS and as private surgeons. Most UK plastic surgeons don’t need to travel abroad to work with agencies elsewhere.
As a result of the PIP scandal, the cosmetic medical industry is now being placed under the spotlight. Many plastic surgeons are welcoming this. In fact, all doctors and nurses should welcome greater regulation of the cosmetic industry. The PIP scandal shows what happens when regulations aren't enforced. The cosmetic medical industry is in better need of regulation of procedures, people and places. The right surgeon needs to do the right procedure on the right person using the right products and the right equipment.
Cosmetic surgery is in need of a greater degree of regulation. As an example, there are doctors performing liposuction who have no formal training in liposuction and other plastic surgery procedures. These doctors are not surgeons, let alone plastic surgeons. There are, in fact, GPs and Ear Nose and Throat surgeons performing liposuction. Our view is that if a doctor wants to perform Plastic Surgery procedures, he should train as a proper Plastic Surgeon.
The next thing in the cosmetic industry that will go under the spotlight of regulation will be dermal fillers. Currently, they are considered medical devices, and so in the UK we have over 100 fillers to choose from. In the US, for example, there are only around 10 dermal fillers licensed for use. The reason for the discrepancy is that in the UK dermal fillers are regulated by the MHRA whereas in the US they are regulated by the FDA, where regulations are stricter. Some of the dermal fillers available in the UK would not be used by reputable consultant plastic surgeons and yet they are available in the same way that most reputable plastic surgeons did not use PIP implants, yet they too were available for use.
Consultant Plastic Surgeons already see complications from some dermal fillers which cannot be treated by the administering practitioner. We see complications from treatments performed abroad and there have been some high profile cases of celebrities with untreatable complications. The MHRA has also banned certain dermal fillers in the past that have been used, though not by Consultant Plastic Surgeons. Most reputable clinicians will welcome better regulation of cosmetic procedures and this is probably going to be the next aspect of cosmetic treatments that will be scrutinised.
I have PIP implants. What should I do?
If you have PIP implants, then we think they should be removed. We think your surgeon or cosmetic company should replace these implants for you and we would recommend you go to them for advice and reassurance in the first instance. We know that some women are having no success in getting help from their companies, and we are sorry to hear this.
All our staff at La Belle Forme are very sympathetic to your worries, and frustrations. We do not want to cash in on your misery and would very much prefer to see you treated with respect and dignity from the company you originally went to for your surgery.
We do know, however, that many women have lost faith in their surgeons, their companies and do not want to go back to them. If this is the case, then we would like to make you aware of our availability to try and help you. We have arranged reduced cost treatments for women with PIP implant. We have inclusive prices available for replacement of PIPs with Nagor Impleo implants. You may prefer a simple removal (either en bloc removal or simple removal - the price is the same) and we can also remove the PIPs and perform an uplift at the same time.
If you would like them replaced at La Belle Forme, with our Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Mr Taimur Shoaib, then we can replace them for you. We are sorry to hear you have PIP implants and hope you are well. If you would like to discuss your implants with us, then please contact us and we can see you for a consultation to discuss your options.
All our staff at La Belle Forme are very sympathetic to your worries, and frustrations. We do not want to cash in on your misery and would very much prefer to see you treated with respect and dignity from the company you originally went to for your surgery.
We do know, however, that many women have lost faith in their surgeons, their companies and do not want to go back to them. If this is the case, then we would like to make you aware of our availability to try and help you. We have arranged reduced cost treatments for women with PIP implant. We have inclusive prices available for replacement of PIPs with Nagor Impleo implants. You may prefer a simple removal (either en bloc removal or simple removal - the price is the same) and we can also remove the PIPs and perform an uplift at the same time.
If you would like them replaced at La Belle Forme, with our Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Mr Taimur Shoaib, then we can replace them for you. We are sorry to hear you have PIP implants and hope you are well. If you would like to discuss your implants with us, then please contact us and we can see you for a consultation to discuss your options.