Titanium implants are breast

THOUSANDS of women are to get breast implants cased in metal to try to reduce post-op deformity.

Breast tissue can react with standard silicone implants making the enlargement become hard and painful.

Docs hope a microscopic coating of titanium, which is used in false hip joints, will prevent this reaction.

Cosmetic surgeons have begun recruiting 3,000 women in Australia to test the implant.

Initial results from the first 80 patients are very positive, according to study leader Dr Daniel Fleming in Melbourne.

He explained: “The idea is the body sees the titanium, not the silicone, and it won’t react. There is a significant problem so it’s exciting to try to find ways to avoid it.”

About seven per cent of patients in Australia suffer from the hardening and distortion, called capsular conjecture. The trial is expected to last at least a year.