Even after six decades of silicone, “every implant fails eventually” according to Australian plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Michael Wagels who spoke at Breast Cancer Trials’ recent Annual Scientific Meeting in Brisbane.
Dr Wagels went on to describe an exciting innovation in the construction of breast implants. He and other researchers have developed a 3-D bioresorbable polymer breast shape made of polycaprolactone, the material used to make dissolving stitches. The implant is like a scaffold, made up of many fibres with spaces between them.
They first tested these by surgically implanting them into in laboratory-reared mini-pigs, which have similar skin and wound-healing properties to humans. The researchers then looked at the types of cells that migrated into the scaffolds and how new blood vessels grew into and around them (vascularisation).
The results were very promising and the first in-human trial is now under way. Women concerned about possible harmful effects from silicone implants inserted for cosmetic reasons volunteered to have them replaced with the new scaffolds. Fat grafting (using fat harvested from the patient using liposuction) was used to fill out the scaffold and encourage cellular infiltration.
Results so far have shown that the scaffolds are safe and tolerable, with vascularisation happening as expected. Trial participants reported that they were happy with the results. The implants feel hard at first but they soften with time as the scaffold gradually dissolves; after two years, the implants had retained 80% of their original volume. There has been no encapsulation (hardening which often occurs with silicone implants) and no capsule contraction.
While these results are exciting and offer promise for use in reconstruction after breast cancer, Dr Wagels noted that the implants used in the trial were only 200ml in volume and that he was not certain how well the process would scale up. However, the positive results so far have generated enough interest to ensure that there will be further trials and long-term follow-up, hopefully soon including breast cancer patients.
You can read more about this research here.
20 August 2026
