Silicone in breast implants are bulletproof

Question

"Doctors noted that the silicone implant was likely responsible for deflecting the bullet’s trajectory – ultimately saving the woman’s life."

- CNN

Answer 1

Silicone breast implants are not bulletproof, nor does the CNN article directly claim they are. As the article and the medical case study on the incident describe, the woman's breast implants saved her life not by stopping the bullet but by "altering bullet trajectory" so that it missed her vital organs.

There are several other instances of silicone implants saving women's lives in this way. One article in the peer-reviewed journal ePlasty discusses a study that found saline implants correlate with a "20.6% decrease in [bullet] penetration compared with that seen with no implant" and speculates that this percentage "may be further increased for silicone implants." This means that implants can provide a significant a protective benefit, though they are in no way guaranteed to stop or redirect a bullet's path.  

Answer 2

The article quoted for this claim does not directly claim that breast implants are bulletproof. Both the article and the medical case study describe the scenario as, "the breast implant altered the bullets trajectory" which made the bullet miss her vital organs, not that the breast implant was bulletproof. There are a few other instances of this happening to women with breast implants. A peer reviewed article called ePlasty shows a study that found saline implants can be correlated to a 20.6% decrease in penetration compared with that seen with no implant."20.6% decrease in penetration compared with that seen with no implant". This goes to show that implants can have a protective effect, but there is no guarantee that the implant will stop a bullet or change the trajectory of its path.

Comments

How would you rate the claim? False? True? Misleading? Always select a rating and mention it in your fact-check. Thanks!

Answer 3

With many situations of shootings used as an example in the Sage Medical Journal there was only one prime example that was focused on where a lady's implant stopped the velocity of a bullet and did end up saving her life. However, with that said she was still injured and the implant still took lots of damage and caused other issues as well. I do believe the word "bulletproof" implant is very much of a stretch and even CNN quotes, "The implant caused the change in the trajectory of the bullet" and actually misleads their own article away from the fact it completely stopped the bullet from entering the woman or harming her. The previously mentioned Sage Medical Journal also was incapable of settling down or mentioning specific details in any of the shootings mentioned and kept everything such as distance of the firearm and where exactly each shot hit.

Answer 4

This is a case of lucky that the women who went through this got away with being lucky and with her having a breast implant she survived. I would say though this is a very misleading title. I would not say bullet proof but it did slow the bullet down. “The implant caused the change in the trajectory of the bullet,” - 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/americas/breast-implant-bullet-wound-wellness-intl-scli/index.html#:~:text=A%20woman%20who%20survived%20a,year%2Dold%20woman's%20vital%20organs.

Comments

I appreciate the inclusion of the source, however I feel like expanding on how the original claim was misleading and maybe another source added would help your claim. This is a solid response, but it could benefit from being fleshed out more.

Answer 5

Silicone breast implants are in fact not bulletproof. According to the CNN article provided below it states that this story of the woman's experience of being shot was "one of only a handful of instances recorded in medical literature where a breast implant played a role in saving a patient’s life, and the first recorded instance of a silicone implant doing so". After stating that it was "the first recorded instance of a silicone implant to be a barrier for the bullet", the claim instantly jumped to "the silicone breast plant being bulletproof" 

Additionally, the CNN article states "The implant caused the change in the trajectory of the bullet". Although it may have changed the trajectory of the bullet, does not necessarily mean that all silicone breast implants will do the same. 

Said from certified plastic surgeon, Christopher Pannucci in his article Can a Breast Implant Stop a Bullet, "Breast implants were not intended to stop projectiles such as bullets or knives. A knife and/or bullet can easily penetrate through an implant.". Through his experiment he was able to see that even it could possibly deter the bullet's path, it is never guaranteed that every breast implant will change or stop the impact of a bullet. Proving that although this women had a lucky case, that not all silicone breast implants are not made to be bullet proof or are bullet proof. 

https://www.dr-adams.com/blog/can-a-breast-implant-stop-a-bullet/

Comments

I like that you found another more credible source to prove this wrong. Often, I think we get so caught up in trying to find topics that relate to a source that we don't just see if any articles by more credible people specifically prove something right or wrong. Like here, who would have known that there was a certified plastic surgeon who covered this topic? And it makes things a lot easier in the long run.

Answer 6

The meaning of bulletproof is impenetrable to bullets. Bulletproof Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster According to CNN the implants altered the direction of the bullet, rather than stop It. (Meaning the bullet still passed through the implant) Leading the claim to be false.  A Ballistics Examination of Firearm Injuries Involving Breast Implants - Pannucci - 2018 - Journal of Forensic Sciences - Wiley Online Library In an experiment testing this claim, it was found that the implant did slow the round down. However, this source doesn't specify many important variables. Regardless, both articles clearly state that the implant had minimal influence on stopping the round. 

Answer 7

This article claims silicone breast implants are bulletproof, even though it doesn’t explicitly back up that claim with concrete evidence, however it uncovers how implants have the potential to deflect or curve a bullet's tract. 

One of the procedures that plastic surgeons perform most frequently is breast augmentation using silicone implants, which surprisingly have saved women's lives over the years. For example, a 30 year old woman got shot and hit her bilateral breast implants. According to the report, the silicone implant was likely responsible for deflecting the bullet's trajectory and saving her life as Giancarlo McEvenue explains, “The only source of deflection is the patient’s silicone implant." That deflection is what was said to have saved the woman's life. “This implant overlies the heart and intrathoracic cavity and therefore likely saved the woman’s life.” Which again reinforces that the bullet could’ve caused a great deal of harm, but the implant alleviated some of the pressure. 

The article never directly claims or states that breast implants are bulletproof, it more so goes into statistics regarding the technology behind how breast implants work and how common they are. A different article by Christopher J. Pannucci et al agrees “It would be a mistake to believe that an implant could be a substitute for a bullet-proof vest.”

So yes, the silicon breast implant did take part in saving this woman's life, but not for the reason the title claims. They are not bulletproof, but in some cases have prevented more extensive injuries due to their ability to deflect the bullet's tract. 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2513826X19898821

https://www.k-online.com/en/Media_News/News/The_unexpected_benefit_of_breast_implants