| Silicone injections can be fatal - new study |
|
|
|
| Thursday, 30 November 2006 | |
|
"The illegal use of fluid silicone is a practice that carries life- threatening risks, and the community should be aware of the complications," according to Carlos S. Restrepo, M.D., director of chest radiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX. 25 of the patients were transsexual males, who constitute the most at-risk group for this procedure, and 19 were females. The most common sites of injection were the breast, buttocks, hips, chest, arms and vagina, according to Dr. Restrepo. The symptoms arising from the silicone injections were breathing difficulties and fever, with a quarter of the patients dying from bleeding in the lungs. If silicone is injected incorrectly, it travels through the bloodstream and then causes blood to coagulate in the lungs, a life-threatening condition if not identified and treated urgently. Although silicone injections were banned by the FDA in 1992, they are still sought by some because they are cheaper and easier to get than professional cosmetic surgery or hormone therapy and they offer the promise of instant results. However, because most of these procedures are carried out in back street clinics, it is nearly impossible to estimate how many silicone injections are provided each year. The fact that the injections are provided in underground, unlicensed clinics adds to the risk for people seeking this type of treatment, since it is unlikely that the clinic will have any emergency treatment facilities on hand, nor will they be eager to attract attention by engaging the emergency services when patients exhibit indications of potential problems. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
![[أربيك]](http://www.lipo.com/websitetranslator/images/flag_ar.gif){kind=small}
