Busted: implant criminal behind bras

Regulatory system failed women, say surgeons

10 December 2013 (Last updated: 27 Mar 2019 12:49)

 

London – 10 December, 2013- Courts in France have today handed down sentencing concluding the trial of Jean Claude Mas, the French businessman found guilty of filling hundreds of thousands of breast implants with industrial-grade silicone. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (www.baaps.org.uk) today warns that, although criminal behaviour cannot be prevented by regulation, the system ‘endangered’ the safety of women worldwide by failing to discover Mas’ illegal activities over ten years.

Consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS President Rajiv Grover says;

“There can be no way of compensating the victims of PIP for the scale of this betrayal, and in that respect no sentencing can ever be adequate punishment. It’s appalling that it has been years since the PIP crisis first made headlines in the UK and despite the Government urging the private sector to replace the defective devices, thousands of women are still left with no support from their original providers.

"Whilst there is no way for regulation to prevent criminal behaviour, undoubtedly the system failed hundreds of thousands of women worldwide who, for all anyone knew, could have been walking around with implants filled with toothpaste. That such a dangerous situation was allowed to develop unchecked over the last ten years is totally unacceptable and we welcome the implementation of pragmatic changes that will protect patients in the future.”

The BAAPS has called for the preventative removal of the devices since December 2011. Earlier this year, the Swedish Government’s analysis of explanted PIPs showed that the silicone gel within the implants changes character, which prompted their country to initiate prophylactic removal of all PIP implants, as many other countries have done including France and Spain.

 

ENDS

The BAAPS (www.baaps.org.uk), based at the Royal College of Surgeons, is a not-for-profit organisation, established for the advancement of education and practice of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for public benefit. Members undergo thorough background screening before they can join. Information about specific procedures and surgeons’ contact details can be found on the website, or by contacting their office at 020 7430 1840. Further materials can be posted to members of the public seeking specialised information. BAAPS is also on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BAAPSMedia and Facebook: www.facebook.com/BritishAssociationofAestheticPlasticSurgeons

For all media enquiries, please contact pr@baaps.org.uk

 

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