New Hampshire Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon Discusses Silicone Breast Implants after Breast Augmentation becomes No. 1 Cosmetic Surgery...( Silicone bre...),Health

Silicone breast implants went through a long period of relative dormancy after a series of lawsuits prompted their removal from the market. Now, two years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved them for use in breast augmentation and breast reconstruction procedures, cosmetic plastic surgeon Richard L. Zeff, MD comments on why he feels the FDA’s decision was correct.

(Vocus) April 2, 2009 -- The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has just released a report finding that, after twelve years, breast augmentation is now the number one most-performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the U.S. Last year, more than 355,000 breast augmentations were performed, bumping liposuction to the number two spot. This trend coincides with the two-year anniversary of a decision that reshaped the field of breast surgery.

In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of silicone breast implants in breast reconstruction procedures for patients of any age, and in breast augmentation surgery for patients aged 22 and above. This significant decision came in the wake of intensive clinical trials and rigorous studies to determine the safety of silicone implants after being pulled from the market in 1991. Dr. Richard Zeff, a New Hampshire cosmetic plastic surgeon, says that since the FDA approved the implants, the public comfort level has improved dramatically. “The FDA approved gel after a 14 year moratorium during which studies compared large numbers of women who have implants with a similar group of women who do not. Because there were no significant differences in the health risks demonstrated in these extensive studies, the FDA approved the gel. I’m very comfortable with their findings.”