In 1992, the Guardian reported on a decision made by the powerful US Food and Drug Administration who, fearing that tissue damage could be caused by faulty breast implants, advised surgeons against the procedure.

The FDA's action was prompted by the thousands of complaints it had received from women who had undergone breast implant surgery.

In the UK surgeons wanted to wait several weeks until the FDA had concluded its study before they decided on whether to stop using the implants:

Following a flurry of court cases in 1993, a court in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, approved a $4.2 billion (£2.8 billion) settlement of claims against the manufacturers of faulty implants.

Confidence in the cosmetic surgery industry was so damaged following the breast implants scandal it seemed that the fascination with body augmentation could be over.