Surgeon escapes prison term for illegal implants

 By Rich Chang          Cosmetic surgeon Lin Ching-yun, who the Taiwan High Court yesterday sentenced to three years' probation for performing illegal silicone gel breast implants between 2004 and 2008, talks to reporters outside the Taipei District Court on July 5, 2010.     The Taiwan High Court yesterday gave celebrity cosmetic surgeon Lin Ching-yun (林靜芸) three years' probation for performing illegal silicone gel breast implants.  In its verdict, Lin was sentenced to eight months in prison, which was then commuted to three years' probation. She is also required to perform 120 hours of community service within two years.  Lin, a former director of the Taiwan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, was found guilty of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法).  The ruling said Lin and a surgeon surnamed Hsieh (謝), now deceased, performed silicone gel breast implants from March 2004 through 2008. Silicone gel breast implants were illegal until late 2008, when they gained Department of Health approval.  Prosecutors had seized files on 11 patients from Lin's clinic, saying the documents provided evidence that Lin and Hsieh had performed the implants, the ruling said.  Lin had told the judges that she had performed liquid silicone implants, rather than silicone gel implants.  However, in the latest hearing, Lin told the High Court that the Taipei District Court's sentence of one year in prison was too heavy. She admitted she broke the law and pleaded for probation.  Cosmetic surgeons had for years been calling for the approval of silicone gel implants, which they said were safer than liquid silicone implants.  As a leading campaigner, Lin had told the media that since gel silicone implants were not liquid, but rather a cohesive mass, there was less danger associated with their use. There was no risk of leakage, even in the event of a rupture, she said.