AAWSAP DIRD, Biomaterials, January 2010

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can be tailored to varying degrees of hardness and strength for stiffness in catheter
applications.
Biomedical silicones attracted notoriety in 1995 when a class-action lawsuit against
Dow Corning, Inc., brought a huge settlement resulting from the supposed dangers of
silicone breast implants.
After reviewing years of evidence and research concerning silicone gel-filled breast
implants, the national Institute of Medicine found that "evidence suggests diseases or
conditions such as connective tissue diseases, cancer, neurological diseases or other
systemic complaints or conditions are no more common in women with breast implants
than in women without implants." Dow moved out of the medical silicone business and
has since been replaced by an array of smaller companies offering specialized silicone
products.
Figure 4 shows the present form of silicone used for reconstructive surgery following a
mastectomy, particularly after breast cancer in women.
Figure 4. Photograph of Silicone (polydimethyllsiloxane) Biomedical Implants Used in Breast
Reconstructive Surgery
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