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Allergan Breast Implant Lawsuit – What are Textured Breast Implants?

Published
Jul 30, 2019
Author
Shamis & Gentile, P.A.
Allergan Breast Implant Lawsuit

In July 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recall of the following Allergan Biocell textured breast implants due to significantly high cases of rare cancer directly linked to the product:

  • Natrelle saline-filled implants
  • Natrelle silicone-filled implants
  • Natrelle Inspira silicone-filled implants
  • Natrelle 410 highly cohesive anatomically shaped silicone-filled breast implants

If you or a loved one has contracted cancer due to any of the above Allergan implants, please contact Shamis & Gentile, P.A. immediately to discuss your Allergan Breast Implant lawsuit case. You may be entitled to significant compensation for any injuries incurred as a result of their negligence.

Textured Breast Implants

Textured breast implants have become popular in recent years, but so too have the number of complaints from people who have begun to experience unexplained side effects.

Many of the complaints over breast implants have to do with a certain kind of implant that has become popular with surgeons. Plenty of women who got these textured implants might not even know that they could be at risk for a serious cancer diagnosis.

What Is a Textured Implant?

The outer surface of a textured implant is much like sandpaper. This prevents the implant from moving around in the pocket that is created by the surgeon. The patient’s chest could appear misshapen without the use of these kinds of implants, so surgeons have opted to use these textured devices in plenty of surgeries.

What’s Wrong with the Allergan Breast Implant?

According to the FDA report, those who have Allergan Biocell textured breast implants are at an increasingly high risk of developing breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).In its investigation, the FDA identified 573 cases of BIA-ALCL and 33 deaths worldwide. Of those cases, 481 have been directly linked to Allergan implants– a rate six times higher than that of other textured implants sold in the country. If you or a loved one is suffering from Breast Implant Illness (BII), please contact Shamis & Gentile, P.A. immediately to discuss your Allergan Breast Implant lawsuit or fill out a form here.

What is BIA-ALCL?

BIA-ALCL is a rare form of lymphoma – cancer of the immune system. Lymphoma cells develop in the scar tissue and any fluids surrounding the breast implant, and it may take up to 10 years for symptoms to appear, which include:

  • Pain and tenderness near breast implant sites
  • Swelling near breast implants
  • Unexplained skin irritation
  • Sudden fatigue

If you experience any of these symptoms, contact a medical professional immediately to schedule an evaluation.

What is Breast Implant Illness (BII)?

More than 50,000 women reported experiencing a variety of symptoms that they said were from “breast implant illness” on two Facebook groups by 2018. The symptoms they have reported have been classified as autoimmune or connective tissue disorder (CTD) symptoms. Although, they have not been connected to a specific autoimmune disease or CTD.

According to the National Center for Health Research, plastic surgeons and manufacturers of implants say that these autoimmune and connective tissue problems are not related to the breast implants, but the NCHR says that the research disagrees with that conclusion.

Breast implant studies have shown a connection in the following illnesses after women received implants:

  • Sjögren’s Syndrome
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Scleroderma
  • Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Other autoimmune disorders
  • Other Cancers

Allergan May Be Liable for Your Injuries

The safety risks associated with textured breast implants were under investigation dating as far back as 2017 – yet Allergan refused to voluntarily recall their Biocell implants until they were required to by law. Additionally, Allergan continued to sell their textured implants even though they were recalled in Canada two months ago and in Europe 7 months ago.

Allergan Breast Implant Lawsuit | Contact Shamis & Gentile, P.A.

We believe that Allergan displayed gross negligence by continuing to sell their products despite knowing the risks associated with them. Therefore, they deserve to be held fully liable for any damages and injuries that resulted from the use of their products. If you have Allergan Biocell textured breast implants and have developed BIA-ALCL, contact Shamis & Gentile, P.A. immediately to discuss your Allergan Breast Implant lawsuit with an experienced medical device attorney. We want to help you receive the compensation that you deserve, and hold Allergan accountable for their negligent actions.

Contact Shamis & Gentile, P.A. today to discuss your Allergan Breast Implant lawsuit or fill out a form here.

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