Women concerned about PIP breast implants can find all the latest NHS information about the issue in our Health A-Z section on PIP implants.
Worries about the implants have emerged since news of a major investigation into them in France was widely covered in the media in December 2011.
Initially it was thought that around 40,000 women in the UK had the implants but on March 15 the Department of Health said new evidence meant a further 7,000 women in the UK might have them. About 95% of the implants were provided privately for purely cosmetic reasons.
The French implants caused global concern after it was revealed they contained industrial silicone rather than medical-grade fillers and that they may be more prone to rupture and leakage than other implants.
