Norwich hospital’s surgeon Elaine Sassoon holds online Q&A on PIP breast implants

A Norwich plastic surgeon has taken to the Evening News website to help answer the questions of women affected by the PIP breast implant scandal.

Elaine Sassoon, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon, teamed up with the Evening NEws to host the discussion from midday to 1pm on Friday about the Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) implants.

Miss Sassoon, a council member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (Bapras) and chairman of its breast sub-committee for the past seven years, said: 'It brought quite a few patients together and it will hopefully answer some of the questions they have had.

'It certainly highlighted that we don't yet have answers to everything or enough government guidance.

'I wanted to do it because the information out there is quite difficult to make sense of and it's often quite complex. I though maybe I could make it a little bit easier to understand.'

French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) went out of business in 2010 after an official probe revealed it was using cheaper unapproved industrial-grade silicone in some of its products.

The scandal has prompted a review of whether tighter regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry is needed and a review into the safety and quality of private clinics offering cosmetic surgery in Britain.

Thorpe St Andrew mum Debbie Chettleburgh, who had PIP implants which ruptured, said: 'I'm very grateful Elaine gave her time to help and did respond and help a lot of ladies on there with future decision on how they are going to take this forward in individual cases.

'She was responding to questions they would like to put to their surgeons or clinics and at the moment they can't even get in touch with them.'