The breast enhancement industry in Kenya is still at a very formative stage. Otieno Opondo explores how traceability technology can help make it safer and bigger (no pun intended).
Whether you love, hate, or remain indifferent to the matter of breast implants, it is worth noting that breast enhancement, referred to as breast implants rakes in billions of shillings. It is estimated that in 2019, the gross turnover in the business of breasts reached $2.2 billion US dollars. Were it not for the COVID-19 pandemic, this figure was projected to increase by up to 7.5%. However, by 2027 according to Fortune Business insight, the breast implant business in the world will hit $3.1 billion US dollars. Africa is the fastest-growing market in the world with South Africa and Kenya taking the lion’s share.
The product is an expensive process that is favored by wealthy individuals. Non-surgical breast enhancement has been a practice for centuries by women from different cultures. The earliest recorded attempt at surgically augmenting breasts was performed in 1895 by a German doctor. In 1945, after the Second World War, the practice of breast augmenting peaked, with the sex workers catering to the American military, reportedly injecting their breasts with industrial silicon.
While breast implants aim to bring a renewed joy, it has also brought in some serious risks and challenges, depending on how much one is willing to pay or where to get it done. In 1991, Jean Claude Mas established a breast implant producing company called Poly Implant Protheses (PIP) in Toulon France. But the implants from this plant caused a lot of panic around the world when it was discovered that the implants were made of substandard silicon. Several people died or suffered serious health conditions by use of those substandard implants. In Kenya where the breast implant business is gaining a foothold, at-least one implant-related death has been reported.
Because breast implants are considered cosmetic, getting the right quality product is paramount. Several factors must play out. As a track and trace magazine, we highly recommend you familiarize yourself with known brands and more so how to link the products to the source as this could come in handy should you find yourself at risk.
GS1 Global (One Global Standard) highly recommends doctors and patients working in this area to rely on GS1 standards of traceability. Since these products can cause serious harm including death to the end-user, the GS1 Standard of Traceability gives you the assurance that the products are safe and are from authentic suppliers. Our standard of traceability identifies all the critical aspect production then captures those critical aspects in a unique digital format represented by unique codes specific to that product. The data is then shared in a secured planform for unique identification electronically worldwide. It does not matter where the GS1 Codes are issued, any GS1 affiliate member anywhere in the world will recognize them.
