Removing Liquid Silicone Biopolymer
Silicone biopolymers are currently being used by some practictioners to enhance volume in the soft tissue of the body and face. The most common areas where silicone biopolymers are injected include the buttocks, hips, thighs, and pubic areas. Most of the injections using silicone biopolymer are injected by non-physician or non-surgeon practitioners who are obtaining illegal substances for soft tissue augmentation. Patients who have had injections with silicone biopolymers, or other unknown substances, may develop severe complications that may be life-threatening or tissue threatening at some point in their lives.
The idea that silicone biopolymers do not cause tissue reaction in the body is false. These substances are injected in liquid or viscous form in less-than-sterile conditions and have short and long-term complications associated with the injections. Non-hyaluronic acid fillers with biopolymer can lead to soft tissue necrosis, inflammation, and fibrosis that may cause cosmetic and medical changes in the body.
Dr. Karamanoukian | Silicone Removal
Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian at Kare Plastic Surgery is one of the most experienced plastic and reconstructive surgeons who specializes in the removal of mitigation of silicone biopolymers in the body. Treatments may be surgical or non-surgical and can either address the inflammation of soft tissue or the actual removal of the foreign body. Dr. Karamanoukian's expertise has allowed countless patients to resume their normal lives without the devastating complications associated with silicone biopolymer.
Biopolymers are also known as liquid silicone biogel and can go by a number of different names depending on the type of material that was injected into the body. Once injected, the liquid silicone can encapsulate and produce fibrous reactions such as granulomas or inflammatory nodules. Depending on the type of substance that was injected, the rate and inflection point of severe inflammation may range from weeks to years. Some patients have experienced increased inflammation and nodularity in their silicone soft tissue fillers after Covid vaccines or severe infections.
These injections are banned worldwide because they can cause severe inflammation and soft tissue infections with long-term consequences that may jeopardize health and quality-of-life. The decision to undergo treatment for Silicone biopolymer removal begins with an understanding of the consequences of leaving the material in the body. Untreated patients may develop severe tissue fibrosis and eventual tissue loss as the inflammation begins to harden the fatty and skin layers of the body. This is most commonly seen with high volume injections of silicone in the buttocks and hips.
MRI + CT Scan for Silicone Biopolymer
There are different types of treatment options that begin with clinical examination and ultrasound diagnosis of the soft tissue fillers. Although patients may be prescribed a CT scan or MRI to evaluate the extent of foreign body material, our office prefers do use real-time Diagnostic Ultrasound to locate and map out silicone foreign body in the fatty and muscle layers.
Liquid silicone can migrate from one area to the other and can cause remote tissue fibrosis in areas that were not previously injected. Liquid silicone is much different than solid silicone buttock fillers because the viscous foreign material can move around the body and migrate up the vertebral column, across the hips and thighs, and into areas containing lymph nodes and lymphatics.
These changes are inherently problematic for patients who have liquid silicone injections into the soft tissue. We find that silicon comes in many different forms and viscosities and some patients receive silicone that is not suitable for medical use, but rather for commercial or industrial purposes. The silicones are available in liquid form and have varied amounts of contaminants that can create inflammation that is unrelenting and tissue deforming. The body recognizes the liquid silicone as a foreign substance and can either react by forming an encapsulated membrane around the silicone or a granulomatous reaction surrounded by inflammatory cells.
Soft tissue injection of liquid silicone is generally not permitted in most of the western world and silicone oils are often used on an off-label basis by practitioners lacking higher standards of safety and professionalism. When liquid silicone migrates into the bloodstream, antibodies can be detected using biochemical analysis.
Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian is a double board-certified plastic surgeon and does not inject silicone biogel or biopolymers into soft tissue. He is known for his surgical and nonsurgical approaches to the removal of mitigation of liquid silicone addressing the tragic repercussions of liquid silicone fibrosis and inflammation.
