The Government has published a disappointing and predictable report on PIP breast implants.

The report, by an expert medical group, has confirmed that PiP implants have a higher rupture rate than normal:

“around six to 12 percent after five years, rising to 15 to 30 percent after 10 years (this compares to 10-14 percent after 10 years for other brands of implants).”

If the breast implant does rupture it has been found to cause local reactions around the implant area in a small proportion of women, which can result in symptoms such as tenderness or swollen lymph glands, says the report.

However, there is no evidence that this causes any more significant general health concern, or that the PiP gel material contains anything that is toxic or carcinogenic.

The expert group has said that the advice to women who have PiP implants remains unchanged.

In our opinion this report does little to calm the fears of PiP victims. It confirms that the implants are defective and likely to rupture – spilling industrial silicone into our bodies – but offers no practical help.

Instead, we would like to see progress in:

• Aftercare –  There’s  still  no  direct  pressure  on  clinics  to  help  their  patients and the best the Government can do is say that clinics “should support” women with PIP implant concerns.
• Consistency – Some clinics are offering to scan, remove and replace for free and others are charging for everything.  There’s no consistency in how Scottish women are being treated by their clinics. We don’t know where we stand.
• Commitment –  We  need  to  have  a  clear  commitment  from  the  Government  that  they’ll  remove  and replace these implants.