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Fungus and Breast Implants

At best this is an extremely rare, if ever, occurring incident. There are no certified reports to my knowledge of an implant removed having any cloudiness, green slime or blood floating around within it that is, or was, sustaining a fungal form. It is theorized that either contamination of the saline pre- or intra-operatively or the permeation by the body's serum [: the watery portion of an animal fluid remaining after coagulation; containing protein, globulin and antibodies, etc.] post-operatively could possibly be the culprit if, in fact, it were to occur.

However, the implant shell is not impervious to fluid exchange. Osmosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon where water molecules can exchange through a permeable membrane. By definition...

osmosis: First appeared 1867 -- 1) movement of a solvent through a semi-permeable membrane (as of a living cell) into a solution of higher solute concentration that tends to equalize the concentrations of solute on the two sides of the membrane (Merriam-Webster)

Below is a diagram to show, in the simplest form, the act of the exchange of the fresh water of the body to the implant and vice versa.

With osmosis, a water molecule in the implant will leach out through the elastomer shell as long as one water molecule from your body takes its place. However, the salt content will stay the same as its size is too large to pass through the elastomer.

The only thing that flows in and out of the implant is fresh water. Remember, osmosis is the act of an equal exchange. The volume never changes, unless you experience a rupture or have a slow leak. The water molecules themselves are to be considered "fresh water" during the act of osmosis as the salt particle is too large to permeate. Implant filler (saline) volume has been tested with no significant variances in the content of an intact mammary implant after removal.

Reverse osmosis is used to get fresh water from salinated water for drinking or other forms of usage. With industrial reverse osmosis, the salt water is literally forced through a semi permeable membrane to "press" fresh water through to the other side. Yet with implants, BOTH sides contain salinated water and since the salt exchange never occurs only the fresh water is equally exchanged. In other words, you will always have the same volume of water that is constantly being refreshed and same salt content that was put in the day of implantation, as long as the implant is not defective and remains whole.

It must be said that some believe that bacteria can not grow within an "intact" implant without oxygen and sustenance. Unfortunately, bacteria can, in fact, grow in a closed container environment living off of the emissions of decomposing bacteria and their fecal matter for quite some time. The oxygen content of the saline is not non-existent and it should be realized that the bacterium can survive on such a small amount anyway because of their size and oxygen intake requirements.
Although the bacteria can grow within an implant -- it did not all of a sudden appear within an implant from intrusion from your body. Fungus, mold spore, bacteria and viruses are, in fact, too large to permeate an intact implant. The only things passing in and out if a whole implant are water molecules. If fungus, living or dead, is found within an implant, it is more than likely from prior contamination of the saline at implantation.

In conclusion, there are no known certified medical reports of sicknesses solely resulting from any opportunistic virus, fungus, parasite or bacteria, or any other pathogen growing in a contaminated mammary prosthesis. Ascertaining that your surgeon fills saline breast implants using a closed system will further decrease your chances of any contamination intra-operatively.