A Rare Observation of Silicone-Associated Scleroderma-Like Syndrome: How to Recognize and Diagnose Similar Cases

Although silicone breast implants are generally considered safe medical devices, implant ruptures and silicone leakage are not uncommon. In this brief report, we describe an unusual case of a woman with ruptured breast implants and long-standing unexplained systemic symptoms. She developed an atypical and localized scleroderma-like syndrome, with a rare observation of histopathologically confirmed silicone depositions in distant sclerotic cutaneous biopsies. This observation with silicone-specific modified oil-red-o staining strongly suggests a direct inflammatory reaction to the distant (sub)cutaneous silicone depositions from her ruptured breast implants. We propose clinical recommendations on how to recognize and diagnose possible similar cases.