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

Comments

I like that you included a study that supports for point. I think the quote in the CNN article is not used correctly in their claim. Just because someone's breast implant was a likely stop to the bullet in no way means that all implants are bulletproof. I looked more into the study you found and it does say that a breast implant has the ability the reduce a bullet's ability to penetrate, but to say that all are bulletproof implies that all breast implants are 100% bulletproof, which is clearly not correct. I agree with your explanation and appreciate the source that you gave to disprove this claim.

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Unfortunantly I think they are explaining the reason this person survived an incident, rather than saying that all breast implants are bulletproof.

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The claim that silicone breast implants are "bulletproof" is misleading and not entirely accurate. While there is a reported incident where silicone breast implants may have altered the trajectory of a bullet and potentially reduced injury, this does not mean that breast implants are designed or reliably effective at stopping bullets.You should have done more research about it to see if its true.

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Hello! This quote does show that a woman's implants saved her from a bullet to the chest. With that being said, that does not mean that implants are bulletproof, across the board, for everyone. Clarify that more next time. Great work overall!

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I think their argument misapplies the quote from the CNN story. Although a breast implant might have prevented a bullet in a particular case, this does not imply that all implants are impervious to bullets. After looking into the article you cited, I discovered that although it may imply that breast implants may lessen a bullet's penetration, it is deceptive to say that all implants are impregnable. This would suggest that all implants are bulletproof, which is obviously untrue.

Answer 1

The claim “Silicone in breast implants are bulletproof” is false. According to dr-adams.com, "A knife and/or bullet can easily penetrate through an implant". Silicone is not a material that is manufactured to be bulletproof.

Answer 2

Unfortunantly I think they are explaining the reason this person survived an incident, rather than saying that all breast implants are bulletproof.

Answer 3

The claim that "silicone in breast implants is bulletproof" is misleading. While silicone implants, particularly the newer generation of cohesive gel implants (often referred to as "gummy bear" implants), are designed to be highly durable and resistant to rupture under normal conditions, they are **not bulletproof.** I believe that CNN was simply trying to explain why this person was able to survive as opposed to making a claim/generalization. These implants are resilient and can withstand certain pressures, and in some cases, even remain intact when the shell is punctured, but they cannot resist the extreme force of a bullet. For example, a rupture from significant trauma, such as being hit by a bullet, would likely occur despite the implant's resistance to smaller stresses. It's important to understand that while modern silicone implants, such as those made with cohesive gel, are designed for durability, they are not meant to withstand extreme situations like gunfire (ASPS, 2020; Galanis Plastic Surgery, 2020).

More details about the durability and resilience of breast implants can be found from sources like the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and other reputable plastic surgery clinics at (https://www.plasticsurgery.org).

Answer 4

This claim is false. It misapplies and exaggerates what the actual point of the story is. While this lady's breast implants may have saved her life, it does not mean that they are bullet proof which is what the claim is saying.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/americas/breast-implant-bullet-wound-wellness-intl-scli/index.html

Answer 5

the article accurately reports a documented case where a silicone breast implant deflected a bullet, contributing to the woman's survival. This phenomenon, though uncommon, is supported by medical evidence. But the article grabs your attention by telling us "breast implants are bulletproof" yet this is an extremely rare instance and there is not enough research to prove that breast implants are bulletproof.

Answer 6

To say that, “Silicone in breast implants are bulletproof” is a reach. This claim is taken from CNN’s story about a gunshot wound survivor titled, “Woman’s breast implant deflects bullet, saving her life.” Upon quick look, these two statements do seem similar; however, bulletproof implies that breast implants are exclusively designed to be armored against bullets. 

According to the FDA, breast implants are designed to, “[increase] breast size (known as augmentation), [to reconstruct] after breast cancer surgery or trauma, and to correct developmental defects.” No where does the FDA mention that the purpose of breast implants is to shield people against bullets. To support this idea that breast implants are not bulletproof, we can use the FDA’s description of what makes up a breast implant; a breast implant can either be saline or silicone gel filled, both with an outer shell to protect the liquid. The FDA does not exclusively say that implants are made with hardware to protect against a bullet. The FDA even states that breast implants carry the risk of rupturing inside the woman’s breast, which does not help support the claim that breast implants are bulletproof.  

Knowing that breast implants are not bulletproof, we can circle back to the original article that this statement originated from. To simply say, there is no place in the CNN article where it claims that breast implants are bulletproof. This claim exaggerates the true story, because the breast implant did not armor the bullet, rather it played a role in “deflecting the bullet’s trajectory” (CNN). You must take into account the trajectory of the bullet for the case of this woman and the way that affected the bullet’s ability to fully penetrate her chest. It’s important to consider things like velocity and proximity of the bullet before making this type of claim. CNN states that the details of the shooting were not clear which can further explain why this person’s claim is faulty.

Based on this woman’s medical story, it is safe to say that breast implants can contribute to the effect of a bullet’s trajectory. However, after some research, I say this claim is overall misleading.

Article:

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/what-know-about-breast-implants