Silicone


Silicone is a synthetic polymer (it is not found in its elemental form, but occurs mainly as oxides and silicates) comprised of oxygen atoms and a linear, repeating silicon-oxygen backbone much like silica. Due to the silicon-oxygen bond being much stronger than the carbon-carbon bond of other polymers, silicones make better electric insulators and are more resistant to oxidation. Certain organic groups can be used to link two or more of these silicon-oxygen backbones and the nature and extent of this cross-linking enables a wide variety of products to be manufactured.

Silicone is the second most abundant element of the earth's crust, making up 28%. Silicones are water repellent, chemically inert and stable at extreme temperatures. They may be in the form of liquids (oil), gels and rubbers, also called elastomers, whose physical and chemical properties include thermal stability and the ability to resist oxidation.

Different Uses for Silicone

There has been an increasingly widespread use of silicone ever since GE became the first company to successfully develop an economical process for producing it in 1940. Silicone is incorporated into medicines; used in a wide range of medical devices; used in food processing (for example, canning and ready meals) as well as in putty and sealants.

Silicone is also used in domestic and personal products such as cleaning solvents, hand cream, moisturizers, antiperspirants, hair spray and suntan lotion. It may be absorbed orally or through the skin. Silicone is incorporated in a wide range of medicines and medical devices; silicone oil is commonly used as a lubricant in syringes, suture needles and blood giving sets as well as during surgery to repair retinal detachment. Protective silicone coatings have also been used in pacemakers and heart valves.

Silicone products are biocompatible, reliable, flexible, and easy to sterilize, making them an ideal choice for both implantable and non-implantable medical devices. Silicone is often used in baking and cookware, but is only safe if not mixed with any fillers because fillers compromise the performance of the cookware and may cause it to break down under heat. It is also a well known fact that one of the most popular uses for silicone in today's society comes in both its rubber and gel forms, as the material used in breast implants.

Silicone As Used in Breast Implants

Silicone breast implants used to be the standard until the FDA imposed a moratorium on silicone gel breast implants in 1992, meaning that silicone implants would no longer be available for the general public. However, silicone gel implants are still in use for women who agree to be part of a 5-10 year study, are mastectomy patients, are having revision surgery, or have a chest wall deformity.

The reason for the moratorium is due to the controversy concerning silicone breast implants and their connection to women contracting Connective Tissue Disorders (CTD). The silicone gel breast implants of today are very different from those used prior to the 1970s. The early silicone gel breast implants had thick shells containing thick gels, and these walls had a higher chance of rupturing, unlike the thinner walls of today's silicone implants.

Much more research should be done before deciding on breast implants, or which type to have; silicone is not the only implant available.

By Elysse Kimberlin