My £3,500 breast implants ruptured after 25 YEARS inside me: Mother left in ... trends now
A mother whose faulty breast implant suddenly ruptured was forced to pay £11,000 for private surgery after facing a year-long NHS wait.
Beth Hewson, from York, paid £3,500 for a boob job in 1999 and was fitted with Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) implants at a private clinic in Manchester.
The 49-year-old was left with an agonising 'stabbing pain' in her left breast last year when one split. Following a breast cancer scare, her GP confirmed it had leaked into her body.
The products by French-firm PIP — given to roughly 50,000 British women — were banned in 2010 after they were discovered to have been fraudulently manufactured to contain cheap industrial-grade silicon intended for mattresses. Data also showed they were up to six times more likely to rupture.
Ms Hewson's clinic, however, refused to remove them following the emergence of the scandal.
Beth Hewson, from York, paid £3,500 for a boob job in 1999 and was fitted with Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) implants at a private clinic in Manchester. The 49-year-old was left with an agonising 'stabbing pain' in her left breast last year when one split. Following a breast cancer scare, her GP confirmed it had leaked into her body
Ms Hewson, an NHS worker at York Hospital, said she felt she had no choice but to opt for private treatment when faced with the lengthy wait
The Department of Health has long said there was no evidence to suggest ruptured PIP implants were toxic, and it did not believe they were a threat to the long-term health of women. But, more than a decade on, victims of the scandal have reported a wide range of serious side effects, including a 'horrible burning sensation' in their chest. Pictured left, Ms Hewson's ruptured PIP implant. Pictured right, her second PIP implant
And when one implant eventually ruptured, she was told there was a 12-month wait for corrective surgery on the NHS.
The Department of Health has long said there was no evidence to suggest ruptured PIP implants were toxic, and it did not believe they were a threat to the long-term health of women.
The NHS also states there is no evidence to suggest that burst PIP breast implants lead to 'serious health risks' for those affected.
But, more than a decade on, victims of the scandal have reported a wide range of serious side effects, including a 'horrible burning sensation' in their chest.
Others, given the implants after a mastectomy, have complained of aching joints, pain and fatigue.
