New Inquiry Examines Health Impacts of Breast Implants and other Cosmetic Procedures

BIA-ALCLBreast Implant Safety
Written By Breast Implant Safety Alliance

The UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has just launched a groundbreaking inquiry into the health impacts of breast implants and other cosmetic procedures. For advocates, survivors, and reformers around the world, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for.

Announced on June 6, 2025, this new inquiry will examine everything from breast implant safety and informed consent to the hidden dangers of cosmetic tourism and the soaring rise of procedures like “liquid BBLs.” The committee wants to know the real risks, the regulatory gaps, and what happens when things go terribly wrong.

At BISA, we know exactly how high the stakes are. This inquiry validates what we've been saying for years: the cosmetic industry needs more than a makeover. It needs reform. If you or your organization has insight into the health risks, regulatory gaps, or real-world harms of cosmetic procedures, especially breast implants, your voice can help shape this inquiry.

To those who’ve been harmed, silenced, or ignored, we see you. Your story could help shape the future of patient safety not just in the UK, but across the globe.

To those brave advocates, survivors, and experts who pushed for this inquiry, we thank you. Your persistence is turning into progress. British PIP implant campaigner Jan Spivey, founder of the PIP Action Campaign, has worked tirelessly to raise awareness and build support among government ministers, helping to bring long-overdue attention to the harms caused by the scandal. At BISA, we’ll be watching closely. We’ll be speaking up. This is not just an inquiry. It’s an opportunity. Let’s make it count.

To those brave advocates, survivors, and experts who pushed for this inquiry, we thank you. Your persistence is turning into progress. The PIP breast implant scandal, which harmed over 400,000 women worldwide with industrial-grade silicone implants, remains one of the most egregious medical device failures in history. British campaigner and survivor Jan Spivey, founder of the PIP Action Campaign, has worked tirelessly to raise awareness and secure government support, helping bring long-overdue attention to these harms. At BISA, we’ll be watching closely. We’ll be speaking up. This is not just an inquiry. It is an opportunity. Let’s make it count.

Why This Matters

This inquiry isn’t just about beauty. It’s about health, ethics, and justice. WEC will dig into:

  • What patients actually experience after cosmetic procedures, including breast implants

  • Whether current consent processes really help people understand long-term risks

  • How well practitioners are trained and who’s keeping watch

  • What happens when procedures fail and who should be held responsible

  • The true cost of cosmetic tourism and how public health systems like the NHS are impacted

This is the first time a major government body is taking such a broad, serious look at cosmetic procedures through the lens of safety, accountability, and systemic failure. That’s huge.

What’s Next: A Call for Global Action

The Committee is accepting written evidence through Friday, July 4, 2025, and BISA is encouraging patients, advocates, and medical experts everywhere to speak up. Even if you’re outside the UK, this inquiry sets a powerful precedent. When one country begins to confront these issues head-on, it builds momentum for change worldwide. Yes, anyone can submit written evidence to the UK Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) inquiry even if you do not live in the UK.

The WEC welcomes submissions from:

  • Individuals (including patients, survivors, and advocates)

  • Medical professionals

  • Researchers

  • Advocacy groups

  • Organizations and industry stakeholders

  • People inside or outside the UK with relevant experiences or expertise

“This is not just an inquiry. It’s an opportunity. Let’s make it count.”
— Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA)

Call for Evidence

The Committee welcomes written evidence that responds to one or more of the following questions: 

Risks, Regulation and Enforcement 

  • What health impacts have people experienced following cosmetic procedures (both surgical and non-surgical and including breast implants)? 

  • How effective are current informed consent processes in ensuring individuals understand the risks and long-term implications of cosmetic procedures? 

  • How effective are existing regulations in a) ensuring the safety of products used in cosmetic procedures? And b) ensuring that people delivering cosmetic procedures are adequately qualified/trained? 

  • How effective are existing bodies (e.g., CQC, MHRA, GMC) in monitoring and enforcing standards? 

  • Is further regulation required for surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures, if so, what should such regulation look like? 

Education 

  • How effective are current public education efforts in helping individuals make informed decisions about cosmetic procedures, and what improvements could be made to ensure people fully understand the risks? 

Research 

  • What are the gaps in research around the safety of cosmetic procedures, including breast implants?  

Remedy and Recourse 

  • What recourse should individuals have when procedures go wrong or products are faulty, and is further legislation or regulation required to support that recourse? 

Cosmetic Tourism 

  • What are the risks of traveling outside the UK to undergo cosmetic procedures and how should those risks be communicated? 

  • Should, and if so, how, can the NHS be protected from the costs of corrective treatment for procedures undertaken privately, both within and outside the UK? 

Guidance for submissions

Each submission should contain a brief introduction about the author, be relevant to the inquiry, be original (not previously published), be in a Word, ODT or RTD document (not PDF), and no longer than 3,000 words. Further guidance and information on submitting written evidence to Select Committees is available here.

Written evidence may be submitted on the basis of anonymity (meaning that it will be published, but without your name), or in confidence (meaning that it won't be published at all). If you would like to submit evidence anonymously or in confidence, you will be able to select this option during the submission process. Please also state at the beginning of your evidence which of these you want to request, and tell us why.

For further guidance, you can contact womeqcom@parliament.uk.

Deadline for submissions - The deadline for written submissions is 23:59pm on July 4, 2025.

The Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA) is the largest organization of board-certified patient advocates and subject matter experts in the world dedicated to patient and consumer safety relating to breast implants. Representing the millions of individuals worldwide that currently have, had, or are considering breast implants, the alliance is a non-industry funded leading authority dedicated to providing balanced, evidence-based information for informed decision making about breast implant surgery and related issues. Founded in 2019 by women, BISA is a grassroots nonprofit organization led by volunteers who do not receive a salary for their work. 

For questions, please contact Jennifer Cook, Director of BIA-ALCL Advocacy. Email her directly at jennifer.cook@bisanonprofit.org.

Breast Implant Safety Alliance https://bisanonprofit.org
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