AP Video: France Encourages Removal of Defective Implants

This one-minute video from the Associated Press briefly explains the situation in France with PIP breast implants.

Two years ago, reports of defective silicone breast implants manufactured by PIP (Poly Implant Prothèse) prompted authorities to halt production of the devices.

The implants are said to have a very high failure rate and a non-medical type of silicone gel. France is now encouraging women with these implants to have them removed, and they’ll pay for the removal if the implants were originally used for breast reconstruction.

PIP silicone gel-filled breast implants have never been approved for use in the United States. The only way an American patient would have these implants is if she had undergone breast surgery in another country.