Potential immune response to breast implants after immunization with COVID-19 vaccines

Abstract

Besides reports of alarming potential side effects after COVID-19 vaccinations there have been rare observations of rather benign reactions to foreign materials such as cosmetic hyaluronic acid filler injections after a COVID-19 immunization. Likewise to dermal fillers any foreign material may cause a reaction when the immune system is triggered. In the recent weeks we observed four noteworthy potential reactions in association with breast implants between one and three days after COVID-19 vaccinations. We release these information at the earliest to educate colleagues and draw attention to possible reactions between the COVID-19 vaccines and foreign bodies such as breast implants.

Cirugía plástica en tiempos de pandemia y de vacunas: recomendaciones de seguridad para evitar complicaciones postoperatorias (medicina basada en evidencias)

“…Las complicaciones identificadas fueron seromas, contracturas capsulares, mastitis y adenomegalias axilares. [84][85][86][87] Hay varias series de pacientes con reacciones inflamatorias a los rellenos faciales relacionadas con la aplicación de las vacunas contra COVID-19. Los autores han postulado que el efecto es debido a la activación de la cadena inflamatoria a través de la proteína S del virus que actúa en los granulomas residuales que se forman alrededor de los implantes inyectados.…”

“…La aplicación de la vacuna COVID-19 produce la activación específica e inespecífica del sistema inmunológico, incluyendo las células inmunológicamente activas como macrófagos, linfocitos T y miofibroblastos que se encuentran alrededor de los implantes mamarios con reacciones inflamatorias. [84][85][86][87] Las reacciones inflamatorias tardías a los rellenos de tejidos blandos con ácido hialurónico son poco comunes y generalmente autolimitadas, con frecuentes resoluciones espontáneas. Los rellenos dérmicos o cualquier…”

“…Teniendo en cuenta la pandemia en curso y la demanda mundial de vacunas contra la COVID-19, los profesionales de la estética deben estar conscientes de los riesgos que plantea la interacción de dichas vacunas en pacientes que previamente recibieron o buscan inyecciones de relleno de tejido blando con ácido hialurónico. [88][89][90][91] Comentarios y recomendaciones: [78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91] nivel de evidencia II-IV; grado de recomendación B-D…”

Commentary on “Late seroma of the breast in association with COVID-19 infection: two case reports”

“…The very first case report on this matter was published in January 2021 describing the sudden onset of capsular contracture symptoms 2 weeks after the administration of the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTec vaccine in an otherwise healthy patient who underwent an augmentation mastopexy with silicone implants 5 months earlier [ 3 ] . Shortly after the vaccine rollout in Europe, our group published similar observations in four patients who underwent breast reconstruction or cosmetic breast augmentation [ 4 , 5 ] . All of our patients developed symptoms after the first dose of the vaccine, independent from the product administered including BioNTec/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.…”

Observations of a Potential Immune Response to Breast Implants After Immunization With COVID-19 Vaccines

“…At the same time, we made similar observations in 4 of our patients who were breast implant carriers shortly after Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations and published our findings 1 month later in June 2021. 2 In our article, we presented 4 potential immune reactions after receiving different vaccines from 3 companies: BioNTech/Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ, USA), and AstraZeneca (Cambridge, UK). All patients developed pain and inflammatory symptoms within several days after their immunization.…”