Study: Silicone Implants Set for Comeback After No Link to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Other Diseases Found

Buoyed by numerous studies that found that silicone implants do not cause connective-tissue diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, former implant maker Inamed Inc. has asked the FDA for permission to sell them once again.

Another company is expected to make a similar request to the agency soon. The manufacturers are testing a leak-free and thicker silicone gel in their attempts to make a more durable implant.

The FDA banned the implants over 10 years ago after scores of women claimed that they made them ill. A study from the prestigious Institute of Medicine in 2000 found that women with the implants had no more risk of having connective-tissue disorders than women without implants.

Plastic surgery is as popular as ever, and the demand for silicone implants is growing they are seen by many women as being better than saline implants.

An FDA advisory panel may begin hearings on Inamed's request as early as this summer.

Other sources: Los Angeles Times