0:00:04 > 0:00:05'At the end of last year,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'news of toxic breast implants hit the headlines.'
0:00:08 > 0:00:10..women in Britain with silicone breast implants
0:00:10 > 0:00:12made by a French company.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15'Implants used across the world suddenly were found to be
0:00:15 > 0:00:19'at risk of bursting, leaving women terrified about what this
0:00:19 > 0:00:21'could mean for their bodies.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26'My name is Gemma Garrett, and I'm one of nearly 50,000 women
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'in Britain who was given those PIP implants.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33'He felt along the lumps and then he said to me about PIPs.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35That was the first time I'd ever heard of them.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37'After my own experience of double rupture
0:00:37 > 0:00:39'and going under the knife again...'
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I've never seen implants ruptured in this way.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'..I'm on a mission to find out how the PIP scandal
0:00:46 > 0:00:48'was allowed to happen...'
0:00:48 > 0:00:50These clinics have got a lot to answer to.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53They should be footing this bill.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56'..to meet the women it's affected the most...'
0:00:56 > 0:00:57You have ticking bombs there.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I've tried to be so strong and laugh through it, but...
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'..and investigate the implant industry as a whole.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:05What size do you go to?
0:01:05 > 0:01:08'I want to get to grips with what the risks really are...'
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Oh, God.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12The pain, you know, the scar is really sore.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16'..understand why women gamble their health for a bigger bust...'
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It's given me the confidence to live my dream.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21The benefits for me outweigh the risks.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23'..explore the alternatives out there...'
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Your boobs get bigger after 30 days.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30'..and ask on behalf of hundreds of thousands of women,
0:01:30 > 0:01:31'are my fake breasts safe?'
0:01:37 > 0:01:40'Boob jobs are by no means only reserved for celebrities
0:01:40 > 0:01:42'and glamour models.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45'You don't have to be under the spotlight to go for surgery.
0:01:45 > 0:01:51'Last year in the UK alone, 25,000 women opted for breast implants.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54'It's not just men who are fixated by women's breasts.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00'As a fashion journalist and former Miss Great Britain, I know
0:02:00 > 0:02:02'all too well the pressures heaped on young women
0:02:02 > 0:02:05'to look a certain way.'
0:02:06 > 0:02:11I was about size B, a large B, small C,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and one was bigger than the other.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I was just very self-conscious about it.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22'That's why, at 26, I decided to get implants.'
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I definitely didn't want a plastic look.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26I ended up with breasts that just looked ridiculous,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29because they were far too big for my small frame at the time.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And even worse, they were PIPs.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38'It was three years later, in May 2011, that my nightmare began.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42'Long before most people, including me, had any idea what PIPs were,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45'I started to feel very ill,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48'and one of my breasts began to dramatically change shape.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51'I didn't know it yet, but my implants were faulty.'
0:02:52 > 0:02:54This was the left one.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58This is the one that I had the lump in,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and obviously, the lump was just silicone.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04So it's completely ruptured.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07'As soon as I felt ill,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10'I tried contacting the clinic that had put the implants in.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'But when I didn't get a response, I lost faith in them,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15'and found a new surgeon.'
0:03:15 > 0:03:20He felt along the lumps as well, and then he said to me about PIPs.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24And that's the first time I'd ever heard of them.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25I like to keep them
0:03:25 > 0:03:28because I like to show people how glamorous it is(!)
0:03:32 > 0:03:35'PIP is the name of the French company that made the implants
0:03:35 > 0:03:40'put in me and 400,000 other women around the world.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41'Last December,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45'news broke that a Frenchwoman with PIPs had died from cancer.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49'The cancer was not found to be caused by the implants,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52'but this story opened a can of worms
0:03:52 > 0:03:55'that became an international scandal.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58'It quickly emerged that PIP had been secretly using
0:03:58 > 0:04:01'industrial-grade silicone.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04'A French toxicologist even found their implants
0:04:04 > 0:04:06'contained fuel additives and chemicals
0:04:06 > 0:04:09'unknown in the medical world.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11'And they had been skipping layers when making the shell,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14'so they were more likely to rupture, just like mine did,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18'leaking all of those chemicals into my body.'
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Unfortunately, the rest of this implant is in my body.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25That was the one that the doctor had all of the problems with,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29because he had to tweeze all of the silicone out of my body.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33So it makes me really emotional, actually,
0:04:33 > 0:04:38even just looking at them and thinking that this was inside me.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Who knows? Like,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45I don't know what lasting effects it's going to have.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48A very good morning to you, our main story for you this morning,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50silicone breast implants used by 50,000 women in the UK
0:04:50 > 0:04:53are at the centre of a health scare. The French government...
0:04:53 > 0:04:59'The boss of PIP, John-Claude Mas, was arrested, and is awaiting trial.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04'But that was no consolation for the 50,000 British women like me,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07'suddenly finding out that we had had the sort of industrial
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'materials normally used to stuff mattresses put into our bodies
0:05:11 > 0:05:14'by a company that had managed to trick
0:05:14 > 0:05:17'every regulating authority along the way.'
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Oh, yes, PIP. 405 cc.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24'My implants had already ruptured and been removed.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26'But other women were left wondering
0:05:26 > 0:05:29'whether they'd been fitted with PIPs too,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'and if that meant they'd need to come out.'
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I remember having my friend text me
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and she said, "Oh, I've got these PIPs," and I said, "Oh, so have I."
0:05:39 > 0:05:41But I said, "You know, I think we'll be OK,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44"because we've gone with big companies."
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Just close your eyes. Relax. We'll put the radio on for you.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54'Sammy, a single mum of two, had PIP implants in 2005.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58'A recent scan has revealed that she had a partial rupture which had
0:05:58 > 0:06:04'been leaking silicone into her body and collecting in her lymph nodes.'
0:06:04 > 0:06:05Sit down, then.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08'Sammy had already gone back to her clinic three years earlier,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'after experiencing pain and lumps in her breast.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15'But she was dismissed and told that was normal.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19'And even when it was common knowledge PIPs were faulty,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21'she didn't get much more help.'
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I then rang and said, "Look, what's going on?
0:06:24 > 0:06:26"I have these PIPs."
0:06:26 > 0:06:29And it took probably a month to get an appointment.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33And when I went back, I'd seen the surgeon,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and he said, "You do need an uplift."
0:06:36 > 0:06:38And I said, "I don't want an uplift, you know,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41"I just want to know what's going on with these."
0:06:41 > 0:06:45'As Sammy's implants were just out of her six-year warranty,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47'the clinic said they wouldn't help.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'Despite the fact that, within that period, she had already come
0:06:50 > 0:06:53'back to them with all of the symptoms of a rupture.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57'Many clinics out there have refused to help.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01'So if women want their implants replaced, they will have to pay.'
0:07:01 > 0:07:05They've done this, they chose to go cheaper
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and have these implants, and they put them in us.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10They need to rectify that. You know, it's insane
0:07:10 > 0:07:15how they're asking us for, basically, three grand.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19And that's a goodwill gesture. That's not a goodwill gesture to me.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25£3,000 is a hell of a lot of money to me and to anyone.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28'A huge unexpected expense.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31'In Wales, the NHS are willing to remove
0:07:31 > 0:07:34'and replace PIP implants where medically necessary.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38'But generally, in the UK, the NHS have offered to remove
0:07:38 > 0:07:43'but not replace - simply called an explant operation.'
0:07:43 > 0:07:45I did actually see this brave woman,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48because I've been going Twitter mad on PIP implants and everything,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52and I've seen this picture and it came up, and I literally cried,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and she had an explant, and that, for me,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00just confirmed that I just couldn't go through that.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Mentally, I think I couldn't cope with that.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06So basically, you've just been given an option that's not an option?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10You know, to actually have this now leaking into my body, that is
0:08:10 > 0:08:13what is just really, really scary.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16I just feel like I'm living a nightmare. I really do.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22'Sammy's next step is to seek advice from a new surgeon,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25'to work out how urgently her implants need to come out.'
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Nigel.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- Hello.- Come and have a seat.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- Now, your armpits.- Yeah.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36The scan shows pretty clearly that, on the right side,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39you've got some signal in the nodes in the armpit.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- They're probably about the size of a pea.- Yeah.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46A lymph node's natural function is to act as a sieve.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48They pick up all the rubbish and they keep it,
0:08:48 > 0:08:49and the body then tries to remove it.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52When did you hear about PIPs, and have you used them?
0:08:52 > 0:08:56I personally haven't used any PIPs.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I've always had that feeling, if something is that cheap,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02if it's too good to be true, it is too good to be true.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06The other manufacturers didn't start to drop their prices.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10So, if the bona-fide manufacturers can't match that price,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15then, in my head, that doesn't quite add up.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18'In fear of what this criminally-manufactured silicone
0:09:18 > 0:09:21'will do to their bodies, women around the country
0:09:21 > 0:09:24'and the world are asking the same question.'
0:09:25 > 0:09:29How much time would you say that I have to play with now,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- with having these PIPs in? - We genuinely don't know.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38From your situation, we know you've got some silicone in the auxiliary notes, so therefore, there is some
0:09:38 > 0:09:42sort of interchange of what's inside it to your body going on.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45It's difficult to put timeframes on things, but I wouldn't
0:09:45 > 0:09:46want these to be in
0:09:46 > 0:09:49for much more than another six to eight weeks or so.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51You have ticking bombs there.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58I've tried to be so strong and laugh through it, but...
0:09:58 > 0:10:01No, no, I think...
0:10:03 > 0:10:08What I'm going to do next, it's just still a gamble. It's a minefield.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12It's a money issue. It's a health issue.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16I kind of feel like I've been given a little bit of time.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19But then even if I do have to go the NHS route,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23which they are literally just removing and not replacing, you know,
0:10:23 > 0:10:28I just feel like I'm just going to be forced into a decision which
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I just cannot even bear to think about.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37'The clinics were bulk buying these PIPs
0:10:37 > 0:10:40'at a fraction of the cost of other implants
0:10:40 > 0:10:44'without asking questions about how they could possibly be so cheap,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48'and without passing on the saving to patients at all.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51'Many of us paid top prices for these bargain implants,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54'being promised that they were the best available.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'With so many women in the same position as Sammy and I,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02'who's going to take the blame for this being allowed to happen?
0:11:02 > 0:11:07'There were warnings about PIP implants in medical journals
0:11:07 > 0:11:08'as far back as 2007.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11'Surely the clinics have to take some responsibility.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15'On Harley Street, Professor Kirwan,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17'a leading aesthetic plastic surgeon,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'leaps to the defence of the clinics.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Who do you feel is responsible for the whole PIP scandal?
0:11:24 > 0:11:28I think it's easier in some ways to say who's not responsible.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I like to say that physicians are not responsible,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34because this is an approved product, and as far as I know,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38they haven't acted illegally or unethically in any way.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Do you not think, though, that alarm bells should have been ringing
0:11:41 > 0:11:44when surgeons saw just how cheap these implants were,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47compared to the other ones on the market?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Well, clearly not. I mean, the NHS was using them,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and we do use our best abilities to analyse every product that we use
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and to understand it as fully as possible.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59But that responsibility doesn't extend to a minute examination
0:11:59 > 0:12:02of the manufacturing process, whether it be
0:12:02 > 0:12:07an aspirin or implants or a hip replacement or anything else.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09And that's why we depend on regulatory bodies.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14- So we just have to put our faith in the Government?- Yes. We do.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15CHANTING
0:12:15 > 0:12:20'Women have rallied together online and in the streets, protesting,
0:12:20 > 0:12:25'demanding someone helps them, be it the clinics or the Government.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27'I want to find out where these women stand legally.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34'I'm meeting with Kevin Tims, who, alongside four other solicitors,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38'is mounting a group litigation on behalf of PIP victims.'
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- Thank you. How much is that? - This is an exceptionally large case.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46The scale that this has become is monumental, really.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Who are you actually going after?
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Normally, what we would do is we would pursue the manufacturer
0:12:51 > 0:12:54of a defective product, and unfortunately, PIP is insolvent,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and it doesn't have suitable insurance
0:12:57 > 0:12:59to cover claims outside of France.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02'These implants were passed by a European regulator
0:13:02 > 0:13:04'and given a CE mark,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'a recognised stamp of approval in the UK.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12'But it was after that that PIP secretly changed the ingredients.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Are the clinics really to blame?
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Obviously, you know, they took on these implants in good faith.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19They've been passed by our Government.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Even though the clinics didn't realise that there was
0:13:22 > 0:13:25an inherent defect in the implants, they still sold a faulty product,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and those consumers are entitled to make a claim.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31The legal process will take months.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35In the meantime, these women need to make decisions about their health.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41This is a lady whose implants have ruptured,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43and as soon as the surgeon cut into her,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46all this stuff came oozing out of it.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50I don't know what it is - silicone, pus? It's nasty.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53I've come to meet Vicky,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56whose implants are being removed tomorrow,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and I'll be going along to watch.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Her clinic said they couldn't help her,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03but she couldn't stand to have the PIPs any longer,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06so is playing for removal and replacement herself.
0:14:08 > 0:14:09I was lucky.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12When my implants came out, there was enough breast tissue left
0:14:12 > 0:14:15for my breast to be reshaped without needing new implants.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18But not everyone is in the same situation,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and many feel they have no choice but to have replacements put in.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Removal only for me wasn't an option.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28I had these done because I had nothing.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30I don't mean small boobs - I mean no boots.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34I couldn't imagine what I'd be left with.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Just so much more than vanity?
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Oh, God, yeah. I mean, you only have to look at me.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41That is not vain, that is a B cup.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45- What size were you beforehand?- AA.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49I had nothing. Well, I didn't even fit in a AA bra. It was nothing.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54We went in and, yes, we chose to have surgery, but if the implants rupture,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57the stuff that comes out of them is medical-grade silicone,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00and we all signed up knowing that those were the risks.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03We did not go in blindfolded, we're not stupid.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Where to lay the blame is a complicated one.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11I think these clinics have got a lot to answer to,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15and I think they should be footing this bill.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18I think it's disgusting they expect the NHS to do it.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22But the Government need to realise they're not without blame.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Everyone should be fixed.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28They shouldn't be left like this, it's absolutely disgusting.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29It's immoral, desperately immoral.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Women are worried. It's not worth the chance.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Whether mine are perfect or whether they're done in,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37they need to come out.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40"You are literally my rock, Vicks, and I love you."
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Oh, I'm feeling a bit emotional!
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- You're going to get it all sorted tomorrow.- Yeah, yeah.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46It will be all sorted.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49For Vicky, tomorrow's op cannot come soon enough.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53The fear of going into surgery again
0:15:53 > 0:15:57is outweighed by the thought of being free of the PIPs at last.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00It gives me some idea where the capsule might be.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Her implants rupturing
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and releasing an unidentified material into her body
0:16:04 > 0:16:06has been a terrifying prospect.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The scars have healed reasonably well...
0:16:17 > 0:16:18I'm so nervous for her.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I'm about to see Vicky go through what I did,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23and I'm hoping to God
0:16:23 > 0:16:26that her implants don't come out in bits like mine.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35There's like a smell of burning flesh.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44They are going to take the implant out now.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48So, we'll take this implant out first.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00You can see now that she's very, very tiny. Almost like a boy.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06I mean, she has to have implants go back in. She has to.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24As Vicky is taken through to the recovery room,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26reeling from seeing my first surgery,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I'm desperate to find out how it went.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32It probably was just about to rupture.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34There was no free gel in there.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39I think it's a very, very tiny hole, but if we squeeze them,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44- you can actually see the tiny tear there.- Yeah.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- So, just in the nick of time? - I think so, yes. I think so.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52Have you seen many PIPs that have been ruptured badly?
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Yes, I've seen a surprising number of the ones we've taken out.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59My impression is that the rate is quite high,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02but for PIP implants, I believe they should be taken out,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06because they contain industrial-grade silicone,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and we just don't know
0:18:08 > 0:18:11what the long-term effect of industrial silicone is.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14'That's what I find most frightening.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17'While the Government is telling women like me
0:18:17 > 0:18:21'there's nothing to panic about, they're still doing tests.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24'In the meantime, the experts that I've met are saying
0:18:24 > 0:18:26'they have no idea what this silicone could do to our bodies.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32'So we just have to wait and pray we are OK.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35'It's made me think how shocking it is
0:18:35 > 0:18:37'that the surgeon who put my PIPs in
0:18:37 > 0:18:40'has not made any effort to contact me.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44'I called him when I'd had mine taken out to get my notes,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46'but he never got back to me.'
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Would I be able to speak to him?
0:18:48 > 0:18:51'I want to find out how he's dealing with the situation,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53'now they're more aware of the scandal.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55'How is the clinic reacting to patients
0:18:55 > 0:18:58'who they think still have the PIPs in their bodies?'
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Yes, I was just wanting to know
0:19:00 > 0:19:03if I could make an appointment to see him?
0:19:03 > 0:19:08Is he giving out any advice to people of what to do or anything?
0:19:08 > 0:19:12So he's not going to replace them for free?
0:19:12 > 0:19:15OK, thanks for your help. Bye.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Was that him?
0:19:16 > 0:19:20No. That was the secretary. Sorry...
0:19:25 > 0:19:28I don't even know why I'm upset. I'm not upset for me,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32I'm just upset that she obviously thinks I still have PIPs in, and
0:19:32 > 0:19:37that's obviously happening to other women out there, it's just crazy.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I can't believe if I still had my PIPs,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43they would be fobbing me off like this,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46offering me an appointment in three months' time.
0:19:46 > 0:19:53Just not that helpful, you know, no urgency about it, and no apology.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57I think that's why I got so upset there,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I just can't believe that he hasn't phoned me.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02You know, that's how much
0:20:02 > 0:20:05the surgeon wants to be involved with you after surgery.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11So, nice(!)
0:20:12 > 0:20:16I am shocked at the response women are getting from their clinics.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21I want to go back and visit the surgeon who did take my PIPs out -
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Mr Matti on Harley Street.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Now I realise just how many women had faulty implants like mine,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I want to find out exactly what happened during my op.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- The first time I even heard of PIPs was from yourself.- Yes.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Was that the first case that you'd ever taken out?
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Yes, indeed. This was the first time,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and I was amazed how this implant was not as good.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I've done over the last 30 years a lot of this work.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49I've never seen such implant ruptured in this way.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I will show you some of the pictures of the implant.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56You can see it's totally ruptured, all bits and pieces coming out.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59I have to spend a lot of time to clean it, clear out the breast,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02make sure every bits and pieces of this silicone has to be removed.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05And when you opened me up, did you know as soon as you seen,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07did you know straightaway they were PIPs?
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- Yes, straightaway I knew.- When was the first time you heard about them?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- I heard about these in a meeting in Cannes 15 years ago.- What?!
0:21:14 > 0:21:18A surgeon presented this material where he shows three cases
0:21:18 > 0:21:22where the badge at the back of the implant was not stuck properly.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I felt, "Oh, this company I'm not going to use.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29"It is not as good as they sound. Full stop."
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Looking at images of my ruptures
0:21:31 > 0:21:34leaves me terrified to think what has been left in my body.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37When the PIP scandal broke,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40the Government was quick to reassure the public...
0:21:40 > 0:21:42The Government has said there is no evidence to recommend
0:21:42 > 0:21:46the urgent removal of substandard breast implants.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50..despite estimates on how likely the implants are to rupture
0:21:50 > 0:21:55rocketing from an initial one in 20 chance to one in three.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I want to get the Government's take on all this.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02I've arranged to meet with public health minister Anne Milton
0:22:02 > 0:22:04to find out if they could have done more.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- Thank you so much for meeting me today.- It's a pleasure, Gemma.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I have my implant here.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14I don't want to disgust you, but the remainder of this is inside me.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16How worried do you think we should be
0:22:16 > 0:22:19about the lasting effects of this?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23I think, you know, the cold reality of life is that anything,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26any medicine you take, any implants you have,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29is only as good as the evidence that is out there.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32At the time they were put in, they were put in in good faith.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35There was no evidence out there to suggest otherwise.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39The moment there is evidence, then we do communicate that.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41The Government and the clinics knew well before the public.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Do you think that we should have been told sooner?
0:22:44 > 0:22:49Well, there's been a review on whether the regulator did enough.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51It probably did enough in terms of what it should have done.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55The question is, do we need to go further? And we clearly do.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Communication hasn't been good -
0:22:57 > 0:23:02telling the surgeons, telling the NHS people isn't necessarily enough.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05We need to make sure that we can communicate better
0:23:05 > 0:23:06directly with people.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08What really frustrated me
0:23:08 > 0:23:11was that I didn't get a phone call from my surgeon or my clinic.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14I had to find out that there was something wrong with my implants
0:23:14 > 0:23:17through becoming ill and seeking advice somewhere else.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21I think that's a story I've heard from a lot of people.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23They were sitting down, watching the news,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26they saw this on the news, they had no idea what implant they had.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31- This period of uncertainty has been awful for women.- Terrifying.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33I know it has been terrifying, and as I say,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35it's not just the women who have PIP implants.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37There's a lot more women out there
0:23:37 > 0:23:39who've maybe had surgery or had interventions
0:23:39 > 0:23:41that will be worried about it.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48The PIP scare has had a huge impact on industry as a whole.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Surveys suggest around two thirds of women considering breast implants
0:23:51 > 0:23:54have changed their minds.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56But even with the PIP factory closed down,
0:23:56 > 0:24:01should we be worried about other implants? Are they safe?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04And what makes girls opt for implants for cosmetic reasons?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08If it's not asymmetry or a completely flat chest,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11what is it that drives a young girl onto the operating table
0:24:11 > 0:24:13to boost the assets she has?
0:24:17 > 0:24:20A friend of mine from back home who runs a salon has just turned 21,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and even though she knows all about my nightmare with implants,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28she's still decided surgery is for her.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30What is your problem with your boobs?
0:24:30 > 0:24:31Do you feel like they're not big enough,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33like they're sagging? Or what's the problem?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Just too small. Whenever I'm in a bikini, I feel self-conscious.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- And what size are you? - I'm between a B and a C.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- But Carly, you're a size 8, would that be right?- 8 to 10.
0:24:43 > 0:24:468 to 10, so a size B to C is perfect.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Do you feel pressurised to look a certain way?
0:24:51 > 0:24:54A wee bit, yeah, yeah. I think I do.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57People have a certain portrayal of you,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00and you always have to be glamorous and your hair always has to be done
0:25:00 > 0:25:02cos you're in a salon all the time.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Even now, I have people constantly asking me, "Have you had Botox?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08"Have you had this? Have you had that?"
0:25:08 > 0:25:10You know, because the salon provides all those services.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I do feel pressurised to have all those things.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15But your salon isn't doing boob jobs.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Do you have a padded bra on now?- Yeah.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21And I always wear a bra size smaller as well.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24- To give it more oomph?- Yeah.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27So, like, my nipple's almost hanging out of my bra!
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Lovely(!) Be really, really honest with me,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32because we're friends - who are you doing this for?
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Is it for your boyfriend? Is it for your image?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Or is it just for your own self-esteem?
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Probably a bit of all three. To be honest, he doesn't like them anyway.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44He's like, you know, he's been with girls or whatever who have them
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and he's like, "I prefer natural boobs."
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Hi. You all right?
0:25:49 > 0:25:52It really upsets me that young girls are feeling
0:25:52 > 0:25:56so much pressure that they think surgery is the only option.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Even the best implants don't last forever,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02so it's never going to be just one op.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05What size did you go to?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08It seems crazy to me. Carly already has a good-sized bust.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12I just can't help but weigh in with my opinion.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15You know how much I care. I want you to learn from my mistake.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17I don't want to be a hypocrite either, or sound patronising.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20I'm just saying as one of your close friends.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23It did, like, it did put me off.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25I have silicone in my body, I don't know the lasting effects.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I just want you to know how serious it actually was.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30You're such a beautiful girl,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and I just think it would be definitely the wrong decision.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34There's nothing wrong with your boobs.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39That's putting yourself through a major operation every decade, say,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41for the rest of your life.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Are you going to be able to find five grand every decade?
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I'm probably not thinking ahead, Gemma, to be honest.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I haven't really thought about that.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53Despite my reservations,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56I will help Carly through the process of making up her mind,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58as the worst thing she can do is
0:26:58 > 0:27:01not get all the right information and support.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- Hello.- Hi, how are you? I'm Carly.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Carly. Stephen Sinclair.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- Gemma. Nice to meet you. - Have a seat.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Choosing surgery is a huge decision,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12and I'm worried young girls like Carly
0:27:12 > 0:27:15are making it blinded by the short-term benefits,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18and without realising everything they're signing up to...
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Nice, normal, symmetrical chest,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and your breasts are a good shape and a good size.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28..especially when they have perfect breasts
0:27:28 > 0:27:29and are just doing it to add
0:27:29 > 0:27:31that extra bit of oomph to their cleavage.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37In your honest opinion, do you think Carly needs breast implants?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Physically, you don't.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44Physically, you have a good size and shape of breast.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46It won't change your life or make you a different person,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50but it can make you feel better about yourself and a bit more confident.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Breast surgeon Mr Sinclair runs through
0:27:52 > 0:27:55all the shapes, sizes, options and risks
0:27:55 > 0:28:00to give Carly a clear idea of what to expect if she does go for it.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Any clinic that would offer incentives for surgery,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06you should really stay away from.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11Anybody who says, "If you have your surgery carried out next week,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15- "then you'll get 500 or £1,000 off," almost...- Alarm bells.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- Alarm bells should ring. - That makes me really angry.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24This is such a good consultation. Like, I didn't get this at all.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Did you not?
0:28:26 > 0:28:29I think mine probably lasted about seven minutes.
0:28:29 > 0:28:30Thank you so much.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33'All I can hope is Carly took on board what the surgeon said
0:28:33 > 0:28:36'about her breasts being absolutely fine
0:28:36 > 0:28:40'and that she can withstand the pressure to go under the knife.
0:28:40 > 0:28:41- Bye.- Bye-bye.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49So, why do we aspire to bigger boobs? Where does this come from?
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Is it fashionable to be busty?
0:28:51 > 0:28:54I think different shapes go in and out of fashion.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Lorraine Candy is the editor of Elle magazine.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00So, with her finger on the pulse of fashion,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03she knows exactly how young women want to look.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06If you look at history and the history of fashion,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09our shapes have changed very dramatically.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13The '50s was very hourglass, the '90s was very grunge.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17Over the years, women's attitudes do change towards body image,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19and that's just about a zeitgeist.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24We now have the ability to physically change our shape.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26It is like changing your hair.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Styles go in and out, and unfortunately,
0:29:29 > 0:29:30we now have a whole raft of people
0:29:30 > 0:29:33who can do that physically with surgery.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35Do you think women are a little bit confused
0:29:35 > 0:29:37about what they're aspiring to be?
0:29:37 > 0:29:40They want to be thin but they also want to have good boobs?
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Yes, I think there are, in the media,
0:29:42 > 0:29:47some very unrealistic body shapes for women to aspire to.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Lorraine is the first to admit that she,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54as the editor of one of the UK's biggest magazines,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56needs to be aware of how much of an effect she has
0:29:56 > 0:29:58on how women feel about their bodies.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01We all have to be responsible about how
0:30:01 > 0:30:04we influence their point of view, but I think it has to come from home
0:30:04 > 0:30:07and from school and other influences as well.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Does Elle magazine touch on surgery or address it in any way?
0:30:11 > 0:30:12Yes, we do address the issue,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16because it is something women are incredibly interested in.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18We have a column called Beauty Extremist,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21and we do it from a very scientific point of view.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22Is it going to give you what it promises?
0:30:22 > 0:30:26I would say, probably not everything does.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30So why do you feel that image is so important now to women?
0:30:30 > 0:30:33I think it's very important to young women now, because of social media.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Young women today live on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Their image is associated with everything they do,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42and I think they need it to look good and they want to look good,
0:30:42 > 0:30:43and they want to present
0:30:43 > 0:30:46the most positive, powerful, beautiful image they can,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49so it's the very forefront of their minds at the moment.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52So, is undergoing surgery
0:30:52 > 0:30:55to increase the size of your bust purely vanity?
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Since mine ruptured,
0:30:57 > 0:31:01I've felt very negative towards implants in general.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04But maybe everything that's happened with PIPs has made me forget
0:31:04 > 0:31:07that being confident about their breasts
0:31:07 > 0:31:10really can make women feel better about themselves.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13I've come to meet Gemma Trotter,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17who in her early teens lost her leg a car accident.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20She was fitted with a new, high-tech prosthetic leg,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23but felt there was still one thing holding her back -
0:31:23 > 0:31:24her flat chest.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Not having a leg is one massive big deal.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33I've always felt very sort of inferior.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36I didn't feel very feminine, having lost my leg at that kind of age.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39That's when you're moulding into a young woman, and of course,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43I didn't have what all the other young women had.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45I was completely flat, felt like a boy.
0:31:45 > 0:31:51So it was in no way for vanity reasons, it was for 100% confidence?
0:31:51 > 0:31:54I don't want people to ogle at me.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57I would hate to think that people were thinking that
0:31:57 > 0:32:02I did it to impress men, because I definitely didn't.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04I really did it for myself.
0:32:04 > 0:32:05Ready, go!
0:32:05 > 0:32:08After 30 operations on her leg,
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Gemma chose to go under the knife again to go from a 32 AA to a D cup.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17Out of everything that you've been through, losing your leg,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19the thing that you really think was keeping you back
0:32:19 > 0:32:22from being a fitness instructor was being flat-chested?
0:32:22 > 0:32:23When you've had a knock,
0:32:23 > 0:32:25you kind of have to piece yourself back together,
0:32:25 > 0:32:27and that was just one part of it.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31I always had that missing, and I thought, "How can I appear confident
0:32:31 > 0:32:34"if I'm not really confident, because I'm so flat-chested?"
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Tell me just how much it's changed your life.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40It's definitely given me the confidence to become a fitness instructor.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44I think I couldn't have done that knowing, you know,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48I'm on show and I have to instruct people.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51It's given me the confidence to actually live my dream.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54When I started this journey, I was so against implants,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57but I have no idea what it's like to be completely flat-chested.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01The benefits, for me, outweigh the risks.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04For me to be able to fulfil my dreams, I just think,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06if it's actually helped me do that,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10it's just part of the process, really.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15My views on implants do waver when I meet people like Gemma Trotter.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18I had my implants as one breast was bigger than the other,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21but is that really different to why she did it?
0:33:21 > 0:33:24For her, they were the last piece in the puzzle.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28She genuinely felt she could never be truly confident without them.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31But why is it that our confidence is so linked to our bodies?
0:33:33 > 0:33:37I want to understand the thought process behind surgery.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40What does psychologist Emma Kenny make of it?
0:33:40 > 0:33:43So, Emma, thank you so much for meeting me here today.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46I am so fascinated about the psychology behind
0:33:46 > 0:33:50why people get boob jobs done in the first place.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52I guess the root of that comes because a lot of women out there
0:33:52 > 0:33:55really do feel that there's a massive pressure to look perfect.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Who do you think's to blame for that pressure?
0:33:59 > 0:34:02I think the psychology comes from both a marketing level,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06from a societal pressure level of conformity - so, wanting to fit in.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08But I've met women who feel
0:34:08 > 0:34:12their lives have been greatly improved by implants.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14It makes sense that somebody who becomes suddenly
0:34:14 > 0:34:18societally conformist and acceptable feels better about themselves,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21because the way the world acts and responds to them is nicer.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24But that doesn't challenge the problem.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26How awful is that we live in a society that we say that,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29if you have a breast that's not the right size compared to the other one,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32you should value yourself so poorly?
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Many times, what we've found in the research regarding cosmetic surgery,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40plastic surgery in general, is that the benefits are very short-lived,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43because the problem has nothing to do with their physical shape.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45It must be much deeper.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48It would be, for me, professionally,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51an external reason for an internal problem.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54I think there is a small number of people
0:34:54 > 0:34:57who are just going to do it for themselves.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59OK, they're putting themselves at risk going under surgery,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02but there's nothing else going on deeper, it's just, "You know what?
0:35:02 > 0:35:04"Life's short, I want to have a good one,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07"this is going to make me feel better, more confident
0:35:07 > 0:35:09"and I'm going to enjoy the rest of my life."
0:35:09 > 0:35:14There have been studies for those experiencing breast augmentation
0:35:14 > 0:35:16that they have much higher suicide rates
0:35:16 > 0:35:18than their counterparts who don't.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23Spend the £5,000 that you were going to on breast augmentation
0:35:23 > 0:35:25on a great therapist.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27It'll cost you a fifth of that amount,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31even if you have long-term therapy, and you'll feel better forever.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33You'll never need them replaced,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36and it will work for the rest of your life.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38# Keep young and beautiful... #
0:35:38 > 0:35:42'We may live in the age of the lunchtime boob job,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45'but I want to find out how implants even became an option.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48'Where did this craze start?
0:35:48 > 0:35:50'In 1962, Timmie Jean Lindsey
0:35:50 > 0:35:54was the first woman in the world to have silicone breast implants.'
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Is it a wee bit frightening to look back and just realise
0:35:57 > 0:36:00that you were actually a guinea pig for this surgery?
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Really?
0:36:13 > 0:36:14Yeah!
0:36:14 > 0:36:17It was an unusual agreement.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20She was approached to be part of a study and struck up a deal -
0:36:20 > 0:36:21if they pinned her ears back,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24she would have this new device fitted in her chest.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40But Timmie has suffered pain from her implants, amongst other side effects.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55You never know!
0:36:55 > 0:36:58If something did go wrong, how does it make you feel
0:36:58 > 0:37:02that you might have to have an operation to fix it at 80 years old?
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Well, it's scary.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Timmie has struggled with these vintage implants.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14But what about breast augmentations happening now?
0:37:14 > 0:37:18If you're not fitted with faulty ones like I was,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22does that mean the whole procedure is straightforward?
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Katie is only 20 years old.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26The implants she had weren't PIPs,
0:37:26 > 0:37:30but they've still caused her a huge amount of agony,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32proving implants aren't always
0:37:32 > 0:37:35the quick, risk-free procedure they're marketed as.
0:37:37 > 0:37:43Awful. Like, when I woke up, I was in so much pain.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46I thought that it was going to be what I was waiting for,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50and then it wasn't, not even close.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55This was my initial ones, which I don't really want to look at.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01So, it's clear that there was a problem with one of your breasts.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06It is obvious. There was definitely something wrong.
0:38:06 > 0:38:07When Katie hit puberty,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10she soon realised she wasn't developing like other girls.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Her left breast was not growing at all.
0:38:14 > 0:38:19She had her first operation at 17, but it did not go to plan.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24It was just pointless, and it was painful and complicated,
0:38:24 > 0:38:29and I was always on medication, antibiotics.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33I was on painkillers for about two years.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36After a second op, she continued to have complications.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40I had an infection in the scar. It was just not nice.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42That's where I got the infection.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Every time I touched it, pus just poured out, it was horrible.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Katie now faces a third operation on the scar on her right breast,
0:38:51 > 0:38:54which is too tight and causing her debilitating pain.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56I take five, four times a day.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00I still have to take regular painkillers.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02- Six months later?- Yeah.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07I still have to wear a sports bra, because any other bra really hurts.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11It's the pain, it's like inside, burning.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15It's not nice, and nothing takes it away.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19And how do you feel about breast augmentation or breast surgery
0:39:19 > 0:39:24in general now, for people who want to have bigger boobs?
0:39:24 > 0:39:26I would never do it for vanity.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28It's just not worth it.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31It's not worth what you might have to go through
0:39:31 > 0:39:33if there's nothing wrong in the first place.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Everybody thinks it's just something you can go and have done,
0:39:36 > 0:39:38in and out, and it isn't like that at all.
0:39:38 > 0:39:43It is a whole healing process, and if there is complications in it,
0:39:43 > 0:39:47they're not easy - not from my experience, personally.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51It's just been a long road, and not a very nice one.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04As if Katie's experience of infections and scarring wasn't bad enough,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06there's a whole catalogue of terrifying things
0:40:06 > 0:40:11that can go wrong with implants, whoever's made them.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Victoria Rose is a consultant plastic surgeon
0:40:13 > 0:40:16at the University Hospital, South Manchester.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19She feels women aren't always fully informed
0:40:19 > 0:40:21and wants to run me through the main risks.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27The most important thing I tell people about breast implant surgery
0:40:27 > 0:40:30is something called capsular contracture.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33And that's really scarring around the breast implant.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36When it's got nothing constricting it,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38if we touch it, it can freely move.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42If I then sort of enclose that in a bag of scar tissue,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45if you now touch that, it's a lot further and harder.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49It can actually be so tight that it squeezes the implant.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52So, your implant can take on a completely different shape now
0:40:52 > 0:40:54and distort the breast.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58When young women have implants, they're not always thinking ahead.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02What happens when everything naturally starts to head south?
0:41:02 > 0:41:04The skin around the implant starts to sag,
0:41:04 > 0:41:08forming what we would call a double bubble kind of effect.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11There's definitely been a deflation of the skin
0:41:11 > 0:41:14and it's now almost hanging off the bottom of the implant
0:41:14 > 0:41:17in that picture.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20These are the main issues but by no means the only ones.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22There is post surgery bleeding,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24affected nipple sensation,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27the implant trying to make its own way out,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and the chance of the pockets being too close,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33creating the uniboob effect.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35What would be your advice to someone
0:41:35 > 0:41:38who has taken into consideration all the risks, all the complications,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41and still wants to go ahead with the augmentation?
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Where do they find the surgeon for them?
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Two organisations will help you look for an accredited surgeon,
0:41:48 > 0:41:52who has achieved a UK standard of training.
0:41:52 > 0:41:58The BAPRAS Association or the British Association of Aesthetic Surgeons as well - BAAPS.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00That's probably the best starting point.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03So, a lot of girls are driven by price, obviously,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06when it comes to augmentation. What's your views on that?
0:42:06 > 0:42:10My main concern with people that can offer it
0:42:10 > 0:42:13at the lower end of the scale is that that's the sort of,
0:42:13 > 0:42:18you know, outfit where it will be very difficult for you to go back
0:42:18 > 0:42:21and see the surgeon that did it a year or two down the line.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26So, price is really the worst way to pick a surgeon.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32I am shocked that there are so many things that can go wrong.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35If I had known about half of this before I had my surgery,
0:42:35 > 0:42:39I'm not sure I would have gone ahead with it.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42But some women seem undeterred.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46So, there was a recent survey done on young girls
0:42:46 > 0:42:52and about 50% of them would trade intelligence for bigger breasts.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Does that just drive you crazy?
0:42:55 > 0:43:01Yeah. I mean, that stands for everything that concerns me
0:43:01 > 0:43:04about women today because the whole reason
0:43:04 > 0:43:10we are free women is because we recognise our worth.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12This says that people would trade the thing
0:43:12 > 0:43:17that gave us that worth - our minds - for boobs.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Do you want to get going?
0:43:19 > 0:43:23Emma is taking me to meet with a group of 15 to 16-year-old girls
0:43:23 > 0:43:27who are already feeling the pressures to have the perfect bust.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31I've been stunned to hear that over 40% of girls
0:43:31 > 0:43:34in their early teens are already considering
0:43:34 > 0:43:37a cosmetic procedure of some kind.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40With 62% wanting bigger breasts.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42- Hey, girls!- Hiya!
0:43:42 > 0:43:45I want to find out how these girls feel about their chests.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48- Where do you think the pressure's come from? - I think it's mainly the media.
0:43:48 > 0:43:53Everyone like in films and adverts even these days.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55They all look perfect.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58- Perfect!- Any pressure from boys?
0:43:58 > 0:44:02What do you think lads want?
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Big boobs.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Just how important are boobs to you at the minute?
0:44:07 > 0:44:10- Is it a big factor?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:44:10 > 0:44:12You feel pressure from everyone at school...
0:44:12 > 0:44:16It's like when you're in the changing rooms, they're all looking.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20You feel like everyone's looking. Don't look at me!
0:44:20 > 0:44:24- Do you feel as if people compare in the changing rooms?- Yes.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27And what are they wanting to achieve?
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Do they want bigger boobs or smaller boobs?
0:44:30 > 0:44:33Do you feel as if you would want to have a boob job when you're older?
0:44:33 > 0:44:36Well, kind of. All my friends have got like really big boobs
0:44:36 > 0:44:41and I feel like there's nothing there compared to them.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43You and me both then. That's been my life.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45- So, how old are you now?- 15.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49So you've got a good couple of years still to grow or whatever.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Would you not look at people like maybe Keira Knightley,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55and other people who are flat-chested,
0:44:55 > 0:44:57and not be inspired by that?
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Kind of. But, like, I don't know.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Do you know the risks of boob jobs, having an operation?
0:45:03 > 0:45:05You have to have it done every ten years.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07I didn't know that.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11- They might rupture.- I know that one.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14How did that make you feel about boob jobs
0:45:14 > 0:45:16when you've seen that in the press?
0:45:16 > 0:45:19I was really worried. It kind of really put me off.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21I've never really considered it.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24There's like bras in the shops, you can make yourself
0:45:24 > 0:45:25look like boobs and you don't.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29You could still look big and you've not been under the knife.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34I didn't have anything until like Year 8 and then they just came in.
0:45:34 > 0:45:35They arrived!
0:45:35 > 0:45:38I have thought about getting a boob reduction
0:45:38 > 0:45:43but, I think, it's just because my boobs are so big for my age,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45I think that's what it is.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48When I grow up, I don't think it'll matter that much.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51Sometimes it proper like gets to me
0:45:51 > 0:45:54because, they're all like, "We all have big boobs,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57"and then there's Charlotte with nothing."
0:45:57 > 0:45:59I'm kind of like, "Well, it's not my fault."
0:45:59 > 0:46:03I also feel like it is my fault for not developing fast enough.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07I understand why these girls already feel so much pressure.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11When I was their age, I was so conscious about how I looked.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14Only in the last few years I've learned to relax.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18Even if they decide not to opt for surgery,
0:46:18 > 0:46:22there are still many options out there to tempt them.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26There are all sorts of lotions and potions on the high street and online.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30Costing anything from just a few pounds to hundreds.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34And all making some very grand claims about how, supposedly,
0:46:34 > 0:46:37you can have bigger breasts.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41This says, "firms and tones skin around the bust area.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43"Lifting treatment for the bust."
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Here we have a "super lift."
0:46:46 > 0:46:48"Extra lift" gel.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51"Shapes and tightens."
0:46:51 > 0:46:56This is an enhancement programme for fuller, firmer and larger breasts.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59It just says that your boobs get bigger after 30 days.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04Worry over implant safety might make these look like a better option
0:47:04 > 0:47:08but do any of them actually work?
0:47:08 > 0:47:10There are a lot of alternatives out there,
0:47:10 > 0:47:15probably nothing quite as road tested as breast augmentation though.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20The biggest thing at the moment is injecting fat into a breast.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Fat transfer uses liposuction to remove fat
0:47:23 > 0:47:27from the abdomen or thigh, which is then injected into the breast.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Since the PIP scandal, there has been an increasing number
0:47:30 > 0:47:34of women opting for this type of treatment - over breast implants.
0:47:34 > 0:47:39But fat transfer can only give an increase of about a size
0:47:39 > 0:47:43and the fat can be reabsorbed into the body.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47Until recently, boob jobs were also used,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50where filler is injected directly into the breast.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55But the main product, Macrolane, was banned in April of this year,
0:47:55 > 0:47:57as it can affect breast scans.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02As it scars, it can form quite hard lumps in the breast.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05That can lead to problems interpreting mammograms in future.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10Perhaps the most bizarre way to boost your bust is suction cups.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14Worn for 16 hours a day for ten weeks straight.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18Even if you can stick that, the results are often short lived.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21But that still might be longer than some of the products
0:48:21 > 0:48:23you'll find on the high street.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26What about the more basic methods, like pills and creams?
0:48:26 > 0:48:30My feeling would be that, if they did work,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33they'd probably be something we'd use quite readily in the NHS,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36as it would be more cost-effective than surgery.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39With any type of treatment, whether it's fat injection,
0:48:39 > 0:48:44augmentation with implants, or, you know, these pills and creams,
0:48:44 > 0:48:49everything is invasive and it's going to have its own pros and cons.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Whether that's that it doesn't work at all or that you have,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55you know, a list of complications that could occur from it.
0:48:55 > 0:49:00So, basically, the only safe way of having bigger boobs
0:49:00 > 0:49:02is to wear a better bra.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Probably the only 100% safe way, yeah.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10But I can go one better than stuffing your bra.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13Jo started Silicone Sally when she realised
0:49:13 > 0:49:17the chicken fillets on the market were not up to scratch.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20So set out to design an ergonomic range,
0:49:20 > 0:49:24which are perfectly shaped to fit in bras to give lift or fullness.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26I have brought my friend, Carly, to meet Jo,
0:49:26 > 0:49:31to see if I can convince her that surgery isn't her only option.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35I have a full range of ten styles
0:49:35 > 0:49:38of breast enhancements of various sizes and shapes.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40Even the most simple one, like this one,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43would be kind of like the ones that I would have.
0:49:43 > 0:49:44But it's made much better.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48I've just seen this wee one. That's perfect for a bikini.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50You can wear all of them in a bikini.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52The more supportive bikini the better...
0:49:52 > 0:49:54Obviously like the smaller ones.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58- What kind of people actually buy this product?- Everybody, everybody.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01Yeah. From teenagers up to
0:50:01 > 0:50:03my oldest customer has been 90.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Obviously, a lot cheaper than surgery,
0:50:05 > 0:50:07- and a lot safer than surgery.- Yes.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10- A lot more flexible.- Yeah. You can take them out at night.
0:50:10 > 0:50:15You can take them out at night, and if you want to go running.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17OK, will we try some on?
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- What are you, a C cup? - Between a B and C.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23- What would you like to be? - Probably double D.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27They are nice, like. Really nice.
0:50:27 > 0:50:32Yeah. Yeah. I really like that size.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36- I love them.- What is this bra - a 30...?- It's an A.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Let it just see one without.
0:50:39 > 0:50:44Wear them on a night out, it gives the effect that you ultimately want.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Then, at night, you can take these out.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50- Put them back in their little box. - You can't really feel it at all.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52- It feels comfortable. - Does it feel secure?
0:50:52 > 0:50:53- Yeah.- It's all about the bra?
0:50:53 > 0:50:58I think you should buy these and have these for maybe a year.
0:50:58 > 0:51:03Yeah. I love them. I definitely love them. That would be perfect.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06Coming in at around 20 quid a pair, they're a damn sight cheaper
0:51:06 > 0:51:09than a six grand op.
0:51:09 > 0:51:10Not only just six grand,
0:51:10 > 0:51:15- it's maybe four or five operations in a lifetime.- Yeah.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17Carly seems happy enough to put the silicone in her bra,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19rather than her breast.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21At least for now.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26I'm delighted she won't be rushing off for surgery any time soon.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31But I'm not so naive to think I can persuade everyone
0:51:31 > 0:51:35with their heart set on bigger breasts to stuff their bra.
0:51:35 > 0:51:40So, where does that leave women still determined to go for surgery?
0:51:40 > 0:51:43We know that when the PIP implants were made,
0:51:43 > 0:51:45safety went out the window.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47So, how confident can we be
0:51:47 > 0:51:50about what other companies are putting in their implants?
0:51:52 > 0:51:54I want to restore my faith
0:51:54 > 0:51:57and find out how implants that do meet regulations are made.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59I've come to Nagor in Scotland -
0:51:59 > 0:52:02the only British-based implant manufacturer -
0:52:02 > 0:52:05to witness the process first-hand.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10Everything is conducted in a clean room environment.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12So, suited up, we're ready to go.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17I am fascinated by the care and attention
0:52:17 > 0:52:20that goes into making each implant, to such an exacting standard.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25I'm reassured to hear they only use top-quality medical grade silicone.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32- We can inspect the shells against the criteria.- Every single one?
0:52:32 > 0:52:35Every single shell goes through this criteria.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39Anything that doesn't pass any of the criteria would be scrapped.
0:52:39 > 0:52:44It seems to be tests, tests and more tests.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47While the PIP factory may have broken all the rules,
0:52:47 > 0:52:50seeing how carefully they check out everything here does make me
0:52:50 > 0:52:54realise that other companies are doing everything they can
0:52:54 > 0:52:56to make implants as safe as possible.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00Nice to meet you. You too. Thank you for having me here.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02I want to ask Douglas Black, the director of Nagor,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05what has changed since the PIP scandal?
0:53:05 > 0:53:08The regulatory bodies are starting to come to a factory unannounced,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11to do checks.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13That's one of the key things that's started.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15I'm sure there will be more to come.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17What do you think is going to change?
0:53:17 > 0:53:20There will be a lot of good that comes out of this bad.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24It's not only products that will be regulated, it will be surgeons,
0:53:24 > 0:53:26also hospitals.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30This whole tightening is going to be for the benefit of the patient.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39The scandal will lead to improvements in safety
0:53:39 > 0:53:41throughout the whole industry.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45If spot-checks had of been done at the PIP factory,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49problems with implants like mine just wouldn't have happened.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52The boss of PIP is under investigation
0:53:52 > 0:53:55on a criminal charge of causing bodily harm
0:53:55 > 0:53:58and his case will come to trial in October of this year.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02We know the Government is cracking down on monitoring implants
0:54:02 > 0:54:05but what else is going to change in the light of the PIP scandal?
0:54:07 > 0:54:11How can we be assured that this won't happen again?
0:54:11 > 0:54:12There's got to be improvements.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16I don't think anybody wants to be in this situation again.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20This is sort of catch up time. This was a sort of criminal offence.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24We need to make sure actually that we get the right regulations in place.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26It'll get better as a result of it,
0:54:26 > 0:54:30which is no consolation to women who had to go through this.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33So, what exactly is being done?
0:54:33 > 0:54:36So, the NHS medical director is undertaking
0:54:36 > 0:54:39a review of the cosmetic industry.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42We need to make sure that women are protected -
0:54:42 > 0:54:47that they are reassured - that the industry that's providing them
0:54:47 > 0:54:50with those opportunities is regulated
0:54:50 > 0:54:53to such an extent that keeps them safe.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Well, that's very reassuring.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00The PIP scandal is a terrifying case.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03Ultimately, it's a criminal issue.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07It doesn't affect the way the rest of the implant industry conducts itself.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Even so, I still don't think implants are worth the risk, I suppose.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13There are so many other things that can still go wrong
0:55:13 > 0:55:16when you go under the knife.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22I recognise implants have their place in reconstructive surgery
0:55:22 > 0:55:26and have met women who feel they've helped them reclaim a natural femininity
0:55:26 > 0:55:29without any desire to resemble a glamour model.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33But I still think this pressure on women to be something they're not,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36alongside their heightened awareness of their physical flaws,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39is a dangerous cocktail,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42and only encouraged by easily available surgery.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46I think we are the cause of our real problems.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48We say we're not good enough.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50I don't think that men would ever judge each other
0:55:50 > 0:55:53as harshly as we judge ourselves.
0:55:55 > 0:56:00My family tried to talk me out of having implants. I wish I listened.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02I was 26 at the time
0:56:02 > 0:56:06but I still didn't realise what a big decision it was.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Or know enough about the dangers.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11It's not something to go into lightly.
0:56:11 > 0:56:17In a cosmetic situation, I think you need to be fully informed.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19All I can hope is the Government take
0:56:19 > 0:56:23a serious look at the industry they promised to and for any women
0:56:23 > 0:56:25who are still considering breast implants,
0:56:25 > 0:56:27that they think long and hard about it,
0:56:27 > 0:56:30and they are armed with all the facts.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media