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Time - Man of the Year
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1992-08-28
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MEDICINE, Page 40Making the Best Choice
Last week's FDA decision sharply reduces the options for
women seeking to augment or rebuild their breasts. Not only were
silicone-gel devices easy to insert but their look and feel best
approximated the real thing. For 90% of womthey were the method
of choice. While implants inflated with salt water are still
available and considered safe (if they leak, the saline does no
harm), they have drawbacks. They can shift as a woman moves, and
the water may settle into the lower portion of the breast,
stretching and tightening the skin. They are not recommended for
thin women or for those who have undergone mastectomy, since
these women do not have enough extra padding to support the
viscous envelope.
A second alternative is surgical: rebuilding the breast
with tissue taken from the stomach or buttocks. But this
involves a lengthy and costly operation and is appropriate only
for women who have usable tissue to spare.
Women might be best advised to make do with what they have
or wait until more choices are available. One implant being
tested is filled with peanut oil, which, unlike silicone, does
not interfere with mammograms. With a multimillion-dollar
industry at stake, manufacturers are under the gun to offer
alternatives.