An Important Message For Textured Implant Owners
Dear patients with textured implants (saline or silicone),
Though I have not personally used a lot of Allergan textured implants, there has been a recent recall of textured Allergan devices due to concerns about a super RARE disease called ALCL or Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. ALCL shows up as a lump or swelling in your breast typically 8-10 years after the implant has been placed. However, NOT every lump or swelling is ALCL. This risk is thought to be about 1 in 3,345 for Allergan’s texturing which is called Biocell texturing.
In a proactive move, Allergan has recalled textured devices which have NOT been implanted or placed in patients. As part of this, they have offered to replace patient’s textured devices with a similar sized smooth implant. The FDA and plastic surgeons are not recommending that replacement is necessary but if this is something you wish to do,
Allergan will help cover some of the costs for this up to 24 months from now until July 24, 2021. The key is to figure out what implants you have and then make a decision if this is something you want to do. If you have any questions, please call my staff at 316 681 2227 for assistance.
PS Please note, the risk of ALCL is much lower in Sientra and Mentor implants and there are no similar recalls or replacement offers on these companies textured devices.
Sincerely, Dr Matthew H Conrad
