Breast Implants May Lead to Rare Lymphoma

If you are one of those women who has been seriously considering breast implants, you probably want to know all about the possible risks and dangers associated with the procedure. Although your plastic surgeon will most likely go through all of those important details with you, he or she may not be aware of what the most recent studies are saying about the connection between breast augmentation and rare lymphoma. As a modern woman who has the power to change her body the way she wants, you also need to be smart enough to understand the potential dangers of such decisions.

What Is Lymphoma?

Grasping the basics of lymphoma can not only help you to decide if breast implants are right for you but also help ladies to determine whether or not they end up suffering from the ailment after their surgery. Lymphoma, even in its rarest form, is nothing more than a simple cancer of the lymph nodes. However, certain non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be caused by external tampering of the body’s immune system, such as undergoing cosmetic surgery. As studies have shown, ladies who decide to get breast implants put themselves at a higher risk for all sorts of health problems, including rare lymphoma.

How Do Breast Implants Cause Lymphoma?

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, also known as ALCL, often develops in the breast region of modern women, especially those who have breast implants. In fact, ALCL currently affects an estimated 1 in 500,000 ladies who undergo this type of surgery. Although this figure means that the chances of most women developing some sort of rare lymphoma from a breast augmentation surgery is quite rare, the statistics are still significantly higher in that case than in comparative cases with women of the same age. First reported by the FDA back in 2011, this risk is usually not listed or mentioned unless symptoms arise later on in the patient.

How to Reduce Your Chances

You could always opt out of getting breast implants if you are truly concerned about developing rare lymphoma. There is no guarantee that a good surgery will completely prevent this cancerous ailment from happening, so decide with that in mind. Whatever you do, make sure that you talk to your surgeon about your risk factors and do what you can to prepare responsibly for any surgeries you do decide to have.