We have been working hard to find the best surgeons and facilities who have the capacity to help out and provide a special price for BIA registered users who want to have their PIP implants replaced. The first point of call for all women is to go to your surgeon or company first and ask for a preferential price, however as many women refuse to deal with the groups and surgeons who caused this mess, we hope that the special prices are going to help. We have a number of surgeons with spaces in lists and hospitals agreeing to provide special prices for our members. So we have a replacement price of £3250 in Essex at the Ramsay hospital in Springfield a private hospital with a good reputation for quality surgeons and after-care. We also have a number of surgeons around the UK including Birmingham and Manchester who have also agreed to provide the same price of £3250. We have had a price from Harley street plastic surgery for London, Essex and Manchester for £3800 including their premium silimed implants and also including histology costs usually around £300. Anyone having replacements with capsulectomy where the implant casing will also be removed will need to have a histology report. If you would like more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further details.

The UKAAPS / Anglia Ruskin University degree has been launched and September will see the first intake of Plastic Surgeons. The course is available to fully qualified plastic surgeons to train under a senior surgeon in 14 competences and is a pass or fail exam at the end. This should help raise confidence from the public in the qualification of their surgeon.

Currently, all UK-qualified plastic surgeons are trained by the Royal College of Surgeons to a level appropriate to the type of work carried out on the NHS, but this does not include cosmetic surgery which is privately funded. We have seen over the past years the number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed on the NHS drop dramatically, so the future surgeons will have much less hands on experience needed to be confident when performing complex cosmetic surgery procedures.

Currently BAAPS recommend that the public look for one of their members when choosing a surgeon, yet there are no differentiations between the membership which is made up of surgeons from all sectors, UKAAPS believe that only Plastic Surgeons should perform cosmetic surgery, BAAPS members include ENT (ear nose & throat surgeons) as an example of a member that would not be right for say a tummy tuck.

By making this training course compulsory the government would stop foreign surgeons coming into the UK which would increase patient safety. It would also protect the knowledge of the senior lecturers working with the course from disappearing when they retire.

We have placed a poll on the left side of the website, please tick the box that represents your thoughts of whether you think the course is a good thing for you the public.

This is a post on the forum that I felt is one of the things that is really relevant when you choose your surgeon or clinic with companies like Linia, surgicare now owned by The Hospital Group and Rubicon medical who went into voluntarily liquidation back in December 2011 when the PIP implant fiasco hit the media. Please comment at the bottom of this post if you would like to contact or add your support to the post.

I had augmentation surgery in 2003 with Linia. My implants have ruptured and Linia’s unwillingness to communicate with me shows how careless and ignorant they are concerning the suffering of their patients, once they have got your money you are on your own. You will find that the director of the company Mr Azhar Aslam enjoys positive media coverage to promote his rogue company whose name has changed numerous times, can this be legal? If you had similar experience with Linia I’m urging you to fight for your rights. Please join me in writing to Watchdog, Rip off Britain, Don’t get done get Dom and the Daily Mail. I promise you if we work as a team we will succeed.
The reason Mr Aslam is getting away  with this is that not just the company name change but also his name, have a look at this:

Here are some of his company names:

Contour Cosmetic Group – This is in 2003 when I had my operation
MED BELLA LINIA U.K. LIMITED – Changed 29 Jul 05
LINIA HEALTHCARE LTD – Changed 18 Dec 09

There are over 50,000 women in the UK who have had PIP implants, with replacement fees been promoted from £3500 to £6500 the value of the replacement market is over £200,000,000. With such a large market value the sharks have appeared looking for a quick buck says Mike Mazza President of the BIA. I am sickened to see so many companies trying to make a profit from women who are in distress due to the lack of clear information from the government and regulatory authorities and the groups who tried to pass the blame then realised that they needed to do something to protect their future business. There have been celebrities starting PIP support groups with law firms, you have to question how much commission are they receiving! then there are foundations, implant registers and masses of editorial and media coverage seen as good PR for a select number of PR savvy surgeons.

The focus needs to be on women getting these implants out as soon as possible before they rupture and leak non-medical garage silicon into patients bodies. The other thing that needs to happen is to have full disclosure of implant failure rates so that women can make an informed choice rather than been pushed into the implant that the company uses.

The BIA is a division of the UK Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (UKAAPS) and as such is a not for profit organisation, so our aim and focus is to help women. Our implant scientific meeting was held last year 2011 in September and planned for over a year, long before the PIP scandal was realised. The industry including MHRA and BAAPS never attended or promoted the meeting, then when the media circus started everyone came forward as the white knight BAAPS included with confusing information and changing their advise from not to worry to that of UKAAPS back in September 2011 of get all of these implants out.

It is time for the industry to clean itself up and the UKAAPS / Anglia Ruskin University MSc qualification for plastic surgeons working within cosmetic surgery is a good starting point if patients are to receive clarity as to the qualification of the surgeon to perform the procedure that the patient seeks.

The BIA register has proven that a national register for breast implants is needed with the same complications been reported time and time again. The register would have confirmed the problem with the PIP implants very early, and in the future will also confirm the surgeons who's patients are also having too many problems raising the alarm for training of the surgeon.

We would advise all women to question any company, foundation or website as to their intentions if they are a commercial entity. I am dismayed with companies like The Good Surgeon Guide launching a breast implant register when they are aware of the BIA register. These companies charge advertising for all surgeons to be listed and as such cannot be truly independent, making any register a PR stunt and not something aimed at helping women or they would just add support along with the rest of the industry to the BIA register.

For all of those women who have now registered with the BIA to receive special prices for PIP implant removal, I am pleased to announce that we now have sufficient ladies to speak with the hospitals and surgeons. Over the past months it has become clear that the groups who have dominated the UK market, are the cause of this whole mess and the surgeons who used to lead the market through referral before the Internet became the main source of research and dominated by groups are the people left cleaning their reputation as a plastic surgeon and industry by offering a massive reduction off their prices for patients.

Keep a look out and we will email everyone registered with details about the surgeons, and prices. Thank you for your patience.

Silimed the Brazilian manufacturer of breast implants received FDA approval on Friday, this makes them one of only 3 companies with FDA approval been Mentor, Allergan and Silimed and making Silimed the only company to have shaped implants approved.

This is good news for patients as the FDA have much tighter regulations than in Europe and we need to see choice for patients.

This is one of the best researched PIP implants programmes, click here our President Professor James Frame is featured and a contributor to the show confirming what we have always said which is to remove these implants. We are in the process of having a report presented to the Government from the data collected on the BIA register, the finding will be published and confirms that all of our members have the same problems and very high complication rates with PIP implants, something that we hope will make everyone stop with the ostrich approach to this fiasco.

We have sent a request to all UKAAPS members to ask if surgeons would be prepared to perform cheaper PIP replacement surgery, the defining answer was yes. Because of the lack of clarity within the market and many companies still not offering price reductions for replacement, we wanted to take the lead and try and provide a service for all of our registered members.

All of UKAAPS members are Plastic Surgeons who specialise in Cosmetic Surgery which is what you should insist on for any replacement as they will have experience in performing this surgery and will be able to deal with any rupture that requires full capsulectomy.

The first step is to see how many women in which areas of the UK would be interested in replacement surgery, then we will speak with the manufacturers, surgeons and theatres etc and get a bulk price to try and make the process as cheap as possible.

If you would be interested in having replacement surgery please register here and we will come back to you within a few weeks when we receive sufficient numbers within an area to provide you with a price.

There are many people talking about having an ultrasound to check if their implants are ruptured. We wanted to make it clear that an ultrasound is only 60% accurate so I am sure this will not put your mind at rest and is why many women who have been sent for an ultrasound who were told that they did not have ruptured implants but underwent surgery only to find that their implants had ruptured. The other factor is that the implants can sometimes have slow seepage that will not be detected from any scan and only becomes apparent when you undergo surgery.

I find it hard to believe that the government say that there is no risk with the PIP implants when they have confirmed that there is industrial grade silicone in the PIP implants. There are 500 women registered with the BIA who would say different.

From over 500 registrations from women with PIP implants there is a recurring theme of the same complications time and time again. The government cannot say there is no risk when so many women are experiencing the same complications.

We need the toxicology tests now and we need answers as to why this was allowed to happen, I think that we know the answer to that, a reactive agency the MHRA who are not fit for purpose, so what will the government do to not only answer the hundreds of already unanswered questions from victims but also for women who every day still go under the knife to have breast enlargement surgery.

It is time the media accepted it's responsibility to women and reported accurate well researched information rather than the pointless scare mongering that we appear to see and read every day. The woman on news night with Jeremy Paxman was outrageous with ridiculous claims of FDA bans and 30% to 70% rupture rates of silicon implants. She was only interested in promoting her book. The FDA only last year approved silicon gel implants in the US after years of rigorous testing and have asked for more uniformed testing from the main FDA approved implant manufacturers moving forward.

Who invites these people onto shows and to comment in the press, it is time experts were there providing peace of mind and accurate facts instead of this pointless self promotional babble from people with PR teams.

The cosmetic surgery industry has been around for decades without a problem, we need to put this into perspective, there are 40,000 women who are victims of profiteers, but the whole scandal is from 1 manufacturer who has no scruples and was prepared †o dupe the authorities and he deserves everything he gets. The way forward now is to recognise cosmetic surgery as a specialty and to regulate with a register and a qualification to practise. This scare will implement procedures into a industry that has been asking the government to regulate for many years it is unfortunate that it has taken such a big scandal to jolt the government into acting. I am sure the end result will be to blame Labour for all of this, a recurring theme with the current coalition.

A patient of The Hospital Group has confirmed that she was asked to sign a document that waives her right to any future legal action against the company or it's surgeons. The form is a "Patient Agreement Form" and The Hospital Group require all patients to sign and bring back before they are provided with surgery at the reduced fee of £1500 or free removal.

just as we thought the profiteering groups had woken up to the misery that their greed has caused, we see yet again more commercial profit before patient safety tactics. What if these patients are scarred or deformed for life following a bad operation, they would have no legal redress for compensation after signing this document. It appears that the turn around of The Hospital Group was only to stop the hundreds of women currently suing them.

Many women are now seeking replacement at full costs rather than sign their rights away, once again responsible companies and surgeons having to pick up the pieces caused by the groups.

The MHRA have agreed to reconsider their current statement on their website regarding the link between polyurethane implants and cancer. This report was published in 2005 and has not been revisited in this time despite the fact that a long term study was published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2006 by Dr Handel MD clinical professor at California university LA based on data from 1981 to 2004 (23 years). There is also the FDA statement that the link between polyurethane implants and cancer was inconsequential and the proof from the study that polyurethane implants reduce the risk of re-operation and capsular contraction were clear. The report showed that 8 years following implantation 80% of polyurethane implants remained contracture-free compared to 65% of textured implants and 50% of smooth implants.

The fact that this information and other studies showing there is no link between polyurethane and cancer exposes yet again the failure of the MHRA to govern the cosmetic surgery market. It amazes the BIA that there is historical evidence to support the safety of polyurethane in medical devices with polyurethane foam been used for decades in pacemaker connectors, fixation devices, hemodialysis tubing, percutaneous shunts, vascular patches and grafts. The material is well tolerated and there are no reports or published series to suggest any toxic or carcinogenic side effects. The Canadian health minister requested a report on polyurethane implants, Kerrigan concluded that the claim that polyurethane implants can stimulate breast or other cancers "is not substantiated by the experimental and clinical literature".

It is therefore important that the MHRA update their statement when the polyurethane implants are proven to reduce capsular contraction over other textured and smooth implants. The public need their regulator to be more pro-active as many women looking to have their PIP implants replaced will be looking for clear advise as to which implant they should choose so that they are not in the same position as they are now.

The lawyer of Jean-claude mas the founder and manufacturer of PIP implants has confirmed that his client was charged by a French judge with Manslaughter. Mas was later released on bail pending further investigation into the use of non medical grade silicone in over 400,000 women around the world.

Every day there appears to be more clarity and justice for the victims of this profiteering scandal, with Transform and The hospital group now agreeing to remove the implants for free and a cost price for replacement. The only fear is that most women will want immediate replacement whereas the groups will not have the capacity to deal with the thousands of women who have these implants as quickly as we would want.

Latest News

26^th January 2012

26^th January 2012

19^th January 2012

UKAAPS set up a deal for complication insurance last year with Sure Insurance Services administered by Lloyds of London, this insurance has now been proposed to be linked with the BIA for women who have complications following surgery. Women who have fallen foul of clinics like Surgicare and Rubicon Medical who went bust after providing many thousands of women with PIP implants highlights the need for independent insurance that covers the cost of surgery for replacement of faulty implants. Had this insurance and the BIA register been compulsory as recommended by UKAAPS and the BIA, we would be in a better position to help the many thousands of worried and confused women facing huge unaffordable costs of replacement, many of these women will have to take out loans to cover the cost of surgery. We are currently talking with the banks and finance houses to help with reduced fees for women forced to have the PIP implants removed.

19^th January 2012

Two of the leading breast implant manufacturers have agreed to have a senior figure on the board of the BIA to ensure that we have direct access to their experience and to ensure that they are part of the BIA drive to clean up the industry, a big thank you to Nagor and Silimed for their support. We were also pleased with the Radio 4 programme this evening available to listen to via their podcast if you missed it http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/r4report

18^th January 2012

Many women are experiencing the same complications with their PIP implants with rashes, burning sensation, tingling down the arm, and many women experiencing severe pains. We have over 400 registered women on the BIA now and the vast majority of those women have PIP implants. The symptoms are all the same with some severe lung and kidney problems, these are not the effects of safe implants that women should not rush to remove. It appears that the government have not conducted clear toxicology tests that confirm there is not link to cancer or risks with these implants, so the media has forced their hand and they are reacting, we at the BIA are waiting for the real story to unfold and we are expecting the worst. We have written to Andrew Lansley to request that we are placed on the committee looking into this and the future of cosmetic surgery regulation to ensure that your voice is heard. Mr Lansley needs to know what you women are going through and we are the only people who have this information at hand, it is time the government listened and put the interests of patients before politics or they are just as bad as the groups who placed profit before patient safety. The news that Labour had the Chairman of Harley Medical Group on their advisory committee is shocking, the man now synonymous with I'm alright jack, let the government clean up this mess even though I helped create it through greed.

11^th January 2012

There appears to be no new news other than a large number of women registering on this breast implant register disclosing problems with PIP implants. There is a lot of activity on the forum so have a look there for help or to chat with other women in the same position. We are pressing the government and spoke with BBC radio 4 today about the problem and future of the industry for a programme due to air on Thursday.

11^th January 2012

President of UKAAPS warns that the complication rates following replacement of implants doubles, meaning it is imperative that you choose the correct implant before having replacement surgery. Many women want to have the PIP implants replaced or removed immediately, however it is important that you do not allow the clinic or surgeon to provide you with the next cheapest implant. With the lack of trust for the big groups and their use of the cheapest implant available it would be good to look at what implant all of the groups have moved to following the ban of PIP implants and you will probably see the next cheapest implant available so be weary.

11^th January 2012

We will be providing a page in the next few days on this website with information about which companies and surgeons have used the PIP implants for those women still chasing their clinics to find out if they have the PIP implants. We will also ask the clinics for clarity of what they are providing in relation to removal and or replacement. We will also be providing a directory of surgeons and clinics that have agreed to register all of their patients on this register. The data will be analysed by a third party university and the BIA will publish, defect rates of implants, surgeons and clinics complication rates so that women can choose their surgeon and or clinic with all of the information necessary to make an informed choice. Any clinic who refuses to register their patients will also be listed in a page dedicated to those clinics who do not comply. Now is the time to act and to ensure that the PIP implant fiasco cannot happen again.

7^th January 2012

Today sees yet another day of zero clarity with Transform refusing to do the right thing and replace their patients PIP implants. It is a shame that they do not follow their major shareholder BMI healthcare who today confirmed that they would comply with the governments requests along with Spire and Nuffield health. Transform tried to spin their marketing by saying that they had stopped using PIP implants in 2005 and only had just over 100 patients after 2005 with the implants, but as one of our member said on the BIA forum, why did they stop using them in 2005 and between 2003 and 2005 according to their figures they are the self confessed largest private cosmetic surgery group in the UK therefore making them one of the biggest users. It is thought that 60% of the 40,000 women were implanted with PIP implants from only 4 of the major high street groups. Harley medical group and The hospital group have both not returned calls about their intentions, we shall have to wait for Monday now, but I fear they will follow the route of Transform as they all have the most patients and therefore the most to lose.

6^th January 2012

5^th January 2012

Comment Russell Jones & Walker Solicitors – cosmetic surgery litigation specialists

British women are understandably confused by conflicting opinion as to whether their breast implants are safe or not. The different reactions from the French and UK governments have not clarified this although we expect further announcements from the UK Department of Health tomorrow (Friday 6^th January). Because of our expertise in cosmetic surgery litigation, we are receiving many enquiries daily regarding what action, if any, someone in this position could consider. In all circumstances our first concern is for the person’s health so our initial advice is to first check with the clinic to confirm which implants were fitted. At the same time if there is any concern about their condition and whether they may have ruptured we recommend visiting your GP to ask for an ultrasound.

We then suggest that anyone wishing to be kept informed of potential legal options should contact us on either 0800 916 9046 or register with us at www.rjw.co.uk/pipupdate. Until we have further information from the government we are unable to advise what action, if any, can be taken but anyone registered with us will be informed immediately of any possible steps once we know more.

03/01/2012

02/01/2012

There is now news from the Dutch regulator IGZ that a Dutch company Rofil Medical have bought PIP implants fraudulent implants and re-branded them under the name M-Implants. With the increase of women travelling abroad for surgery there could still be many more UK women having these faulty products implanted. The MHRA stance is that they only regulate what is sold here in the UK and cannot get involved. The reactive attitude of the UK societies and regulators has to change and the BIA will work to make sure that this happens.

02/01/2012

I just wanted to highlight a great Facebook page called tara smith genuine pip implants support group where over 380 women are helping each other deal with the PIP implants problem, you may find it helpful for complications, but please remember if you have any legal action at present, do not disclose too much information about your case. tara smith genuine pip implants support group

29/12/11

Interpol are looking to arrest the boss of PIP (Poly implant prosthesis) the founder is listed as been wanted in Costa Rica for offences concerning "life and health". We also hear that the private sector may have used PIP implants in Cyprus sparking calls for women to contact their doctor. Many women do not know what implant their surgeons used, which confirms the call from the BIA for the industry to make the 15 minute consultations with the surgeon illegal. So many women have confirmed on this website that they had 15 minutes with the surgeon and they never spoke about the implants, then they were sent to the sales person (patient coordinator) to discuss booking and payment. This is not acceptable and any woman been placed in this position should walk away.

28/12/11

Venezuela agree to remove PIP implants for free, yet another government taking a firm lead to ensure that women have these unsafe implants removed immediately. The UK government will no doubt follow later with the same tact of free removal, knowing that most women will not take up the offer and will end up having private surgery replacement rather than removal. We at the BIA would like to ask the government to agree to remove for free for women who just want them out, and for those women who want to replace their implants the government should contribute to the cost of replacement with a contribution equal to what it would have cost the NHS to remove them.

14/12/11

French women revolt over the PIP implants scandal

Thousands of women in France protested outside the health ministry in France calling for action from the ministry to pay for the removal of all PIP implants. Many women have had the implants removed as a precaution commenting that they felt that they were like a time bomb waiting for them to rupture. An investigation has shown that PIP implants saved over £800m from using non medical grade silicon. Many surgeons in France agree with BIA that these implants should be removed and the stance of the MHRA of having regular checks for leakage is not enough and sitting on the fence will not help anyone. A French woman had a scan that showed she had no leakage, but decided that she would have them removed anyway, the surgeon found that they were actually leaking.

02/12/11

Following the news of the death of a French woman from lymphatic cancer who had the PIP implants, it is becoming clear that the estimated 50,000 women who have the PIP implants in the UK are sitting on a time bomb. The industry need to make decisive action and not sit on the fence, the number of women who are registering on this site who have had PIP implants that have ruptured and many who have had years of feeling ill, it is time to act. The BIA and UKAAPS are lobbying UK plastic surgeons and facilities to reduce their fees so that women can have these implants removed. It is believed that the silicon used in these implants was not medical grade silicon and its intended use was for mattresses. The PIP implants were the cheapest implants on the market and we at the BIA hope that the groups in the UK who implanted the vast majority of these implants will place patient safety before profits and consider when buying implants that by pressuring manufacturers for cheaper prices will only end in them cutting corners like PIP implants. By buying at an acceptable market price, they will have sufficient funds to invest in R&D that can only improve the quality and safety of implants in the future.