Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection: Not for Women Who Want to Breastfeed

Published:July 30th, 2011

Polyacrylamide hydrogel may not be that safe for women who want to breastfeed later after the breast surgical operation, says a study conducted by a group of researchers from Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery; Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China and published in the July 2011 issue of the Annals of Plastic Surgery.

For more than two decades now, China, Russia and Iran have been using polyacrylamide hydrogel injection for augmenting the breast of women who want to have a larger, fuller pair of breasts. Most surgeons see polyacrylamide hydrogel as a safe and permanent option to fill the soft tissues of the breast to attain the fuller look. However, according to the said study, the true complications associated with polyacrylamide hydrogel injection have not been thoroughly investigated.

In the real sense, breast augmentation procedures that use polyacrylamide hydrogel injection can have associated post-operative complications. In fact, as mentioned in this study, more than 50 percent of women who receive polyacrylamide hydrogel injection end up having infection during breastfeeding. Most of these women suffer from local and systemic fever, nipple bulging, swelling of the breast, pain and tenderness after trying to breastfeed. Furthermore, some even develop galactocele or collection sterile pus around the prosthesis resulting to noticeable breast deformity. In most cases, complicated breast infection secondary to polyacrylamide hydrogel injection end up being surgically operated to remove the injected material, to clean to residual cavity  and to control the infection and inflammation. Antibiotics are usually given for 1 to 2 weeks to control the ongoing breast infection.

Thus, these researchers discourage the use of polyacrylamide hydrogel injection in women who plan to breastfeed later in their lives. Its use in breast surgical procedures may result in serious consequences that may result in breast tissue atrophy and infection and untimely breast resection.

Reference:

Annals of Plastic Surgery;Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Augmentation Mammaplasty: Loss of Ability to Breastfeed; Wang, Z.X. et al.; July 2011

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