The Food and Drug Administration recently alerted consumers to a link between Anaplastic Large Call Lymphoma, a form of cancer known as ALCL and breast implants. The incidence of this condition is extremely rare; in fact, women stand a better chance of being struck by lightning than developing ALCL.

Project Beauty wants you to know that this is not breast cancer, but a very rare condition concerning the shell of the implant itself. According to the FDA Report, “with an estimated five to 10 million breast implant recipients worldwide, agency experts say the known ALCL cases are too few to say conclusively that breast implants cause the disease. FDA believes there are about 60 of these ALCL cases worldwide, though that number is difficult to verify.” So what should a woman with implants do? If you have no symptoms, FDA does not recommend doing anything. Women should continue monitoring their implants and obtaining regular breast screening evaluations. FDA does not recommend removing the implants.

Women who see changes in the way the area around the implant looks or feels—including swelling or pain around the implant—should see a board-certified plastic surgeon, ideally, the surgeon who operated on you. If you have moved to another area or are having trouble finding one, click on the “find a surgeon” link on the Project Beauty homepage.

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