Silicone Gel Breast Implants at 50: The State of the Science

Relatively few medical devices continue to remain in existence for 50 years. The history of the breast implant, from its conceptual origin by Drs Cronin and Gerow as a medical device that would enhance breast size to a saline-filled model introduced in France in 1964 to the latest-generation devices, remains intriguing.1 It is astounding that, since 1991, 4.15 million women in the United States have undergone breast augmentation, more than the entire population of Connecticut (3.6 million).2 This device has even survived attempts to completely remove it from the marketplace. In writing this editorial, I intentionally decided not to chronicle each milestone of the silicone breast implant but to touch on areas of interest and lessons learned that will be of benefit as we move forward into the newest era of highly differentiated, anatomically shaped, form-stable devices and what lies beyond. Breast augmentation, 50 years after its introduction, is a highly refined procedure that uses newer devices, made with better technology and a better understanding of how to minimize the risk of adverse events associated with this procedure.