THE DECADES OF DEBATE ABOUT BREAST IMPLANTS…

MORE than two million women have had breast augmentation since a Texan factory worker had the first operation in 1962. While silicone implants are considered safe, associated problems mean they remain controversial.

December 1991: Ruptures, capsule contractions and autoimmune illnesses reported by 1,800 US women with silicone implants. Manufacturer Dow Corning awards more than $1billion compensation.

January 1992: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bans silicone implants and calls for safety review. Germany, Spain, France, Austria and Italy ban them. FDA lifts ban in 2006.

January 1997: French woman develops a rare sub-type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, caused by immune system response to bacteria around implant.

May 2011: FDA warns of link between breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma. It affects about one in 5,000 with breast augmentation.

June 2012: UK study finds 50,000 women fitted with Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) implants made with industrial not medical silicone with double rupture rate of alternatives. Almost 40,000 women report swelling, burning breasts and enlarged lymph nodes.

October 2016: New NHS register launched to record details of every breast implant operation to prevent use of ‘substandard devices’.

January 2017: Report reveals 200 patients suffering chronic fatigue, cognitive impairment, muscle pain and dry eyes due to silicone implants. Author coins illness ‘autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome caused by adjuvants’ (silicone implants).