Backgraund and objective.

Since it became popular in 1960, the use of liquid silicone injections for breast augmentation has continued as a clandestine practice, despite widely documented complications and that it was never approved as filler for cosmetic purposes.

We report 3 clinical cases in order to share the surgical treatment used in our Service.

Methods.

We present 3 severe clinical cases of liquid silicone mastitis in the Chair of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery of the Hospital de Clínicas in Montevideo, Uruguay. Reviews of the medical records and controls in polyclinic were performed and a bibliographic review was carried out consulting PubMed and SciELO in January 2020.

Results.

The average time of onset of complications was 17 years. Common symptoms include recurrent mastitis, severe pain, palpable nodules and breast deformity. In all cases, breast reconstructions were performed with alloplastic materials; in one patient the use of reconstruction with the Holmström thoracodorsal flap technique was associated. Acceptable aesthetic results, decreased deformity and remission of pain were obtained. From the results obtained in the bibliographic search, a total of 24 articles were selected.

Conclusions.

Complications from liquid silicone injection into the breast often appear after years. The ideal surgical treatment consists of the resection of the largest number of tissues infiltrated with silicone to avoid recurrences. Both breast reconstruction with alloplastic materials and autologous tissues are valid as reconstructive options that should be considered according to each clinical case.

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