Silicone Breast Forms OK to Carry-On?
 

My mother who had breast cancer few years ago ordered some silicone breast forms and asked me (male) to bring them back to her in Taiwan. I was wondering if these breast forms are considered as "liquid/gel" or not? Is it possible to carry them as carry-on?

I think I read from TSA's website that they are ok for carry-on, but I don't know if that rule only applies to the person who needs the breast forms (in this case, my mother). Would that rule also applies to a male passenger?

just wear them through security;) or say they are yours,

I am off untill Weds,(3 day weekend) but I will be happy to ask about this and get back to you if anyone happens to know.

I say wear a bra with the forms in them. Not only will it screw with the TSO doing the screening but just think if you tell your Mom that you had to wear them to get them to her, you will never have to worry about forgetting her birthday or Mother's day ever again. :D

Are you checking any baggage? You'd hate to have someone decide you need to chuck them due to unclear policy.

Are these implants that are sterile or just silicone forms that go in a bra? If sterile, carry one with prescription. If worn in a bra, put in checked luggage and hope they arrive. Not worth the hassle.

Wearing them would be funny, though. You could say you just wanted to try out how it feels to be woman and have everybody stare at your boobs. :D

Till

looks like there is a part answer in this post, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...oothpaste.html

No, the hassle of having them stolen/lost from baggage is far worse:

1) External breast prostheses may cost HUNDREDS of dollars EACH depending on shape (related to how much surrounding tissue was removed), covering material (scar areas remain very fragile in some wearers) and, of course, size. Some are custom-formed for the particular individual wearing them.
2) They are manufactured in limited runs and may take months to replace if lost or damaged.
2a) Large-breasted women with unilateral (one-side) mastectomies risk musculoskeletal deformation if they do not wear a prosthesis regularly to balance the weight of the remaining breast (in addition to possible discomfort about visible evidence of the mastectomy).

For these reasons I would recommend never checking prostheses, particularly if entering the U.S. via LAX or other high-theft locations. They feel, and high-quality models may appear, like breasts, so are quite susceptible to theft as joke items by ignorant, unethical people who have access to them.

Regarding the OP's predicament, he really should not have to disclose any medical information about them at all once it is established they contain no threat to the aircraft, but experience shows this to be unrealistic.

Carrying copies of his mother's prosthetic prescription and receipts, if possible, is advisable. Attempts to confiscate them may then more easily be resisted with an immediate formal complaint of theft, backed up with evidence their financial as well as medical value.

He is doing his mother a real favor which may promote her health and physical comfort, as well as appearance. I commend him, and wish him an uneventful journey.

Excellent post. Many thanks!

I was not thinking of custom made protheses but rather of a "blob" of silicone similar in shape to a breast. The OP didn't specify. Of course, custom made stuff should not go in checked luggage. But custom made stuff should also come with medical documentation, so as long as he has that, he should be ok, carrying the products.

I'd make a scandal if they tried to confiscate them. They can X-ray them, they can do the explosives test on them and that should be all that is needed.

You say "from experience". Have you had trouble with this kind of thing before. I find that would be outrageous.

This makes me wonder how a woman wearing such a prothesis is treated when she goes through the checkpoint.

Till

You could try and argue that the TSA website allows "...items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids...", but I think you would be taking a risk. The screeners could argue that the allowance for those items falls in under the heading " Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions" and the traveler, in this case, doesn't have the disability or medical condition that requires the otherwise prohibited item.

You're welcome!

Most breast prostheses are not custom-made (due to expense and poor insurance/Medicare coverage) but they are custom-fitted. No body, and no surgery, is ever really identical: some patients have a more difficult time getting a secure, comfortable, discrete fit than others. Catalog vendors do sell cheap(er) "blob"-like forms that suffice for some, but many mastectomy patients require higher-quality prostheses and bra adaptations which must be coordinated by a professional surgical fitter.

^ Indeed. OP's issue is somewhat similar to working moms being hassled for carrying pumped breast milk without an accompanying baby: just because the intended recipient is not physically attached to the family member 24-7 does not mean a legitimate medical need is not being met by the one who is carrying/flying.

My relevant experiences are indirect:

The first is having worked as a surgical fitter (but before 9/11™); I've fit thousands of prosthesis patients. Surgical fitters are the interface between physician's orders and patients needing breast prostheses, pressure garments for burn scar constrictions, lymphedema, etc. One need be part nurse, part tailor, part engineer, and possess a huge tolerance for insufferable reimbursement rules written by bean-counters who have never experienced the problem that made the medical device necessary. But I digress...

The second is having traveled extensively both pre- and post-TSA. Before TSA and the unlocked-bags requirement I never had a single item stolen; after TSA, pointless theft and damage have happened to my belongings with distressing regularity, especially things in checked bags.

I would imagine usually they are being worn, which would not set off the WTMD. Yet another needlessly-invasive potential problem with the strip-search machines—if TSA can force the removal of a visible body piercing, will they also demand women wearing prosthetic breasts remove them so they can "see" underneath? :mad: An inappropriately-conducted pat-down might detect them, as well.

Frankly, if the OP has the, uh, cojones to wear them under his clothes as some here have suggested, and leaves via a standard WTMD checkpoint, I can see certain advantages to this, especially if they are small (the prostheses!). Once past the CP he can put them back in their box, a far better way for them to travel than worn for an entire transPacific flight by someone other than intended. Some types are relatively fragile. They can tear if not handled carefully, are meant to be supported by a bra fitted to both prosthesis and wearer. (FT lawyers—artful concealment issues negated by medical/nonprohibited?)

What a stupid, pointless, unnecessary concern to have to contend with, simply for trying to help one's mother. :(

And now you understand one of the many reasons why I have zero sympathy for TSOs and am quite happy to see the screw-ups imprisoned and their families reduced to abject poverty. If you're going to use the Nuremberg Defense(tm) you're going to get as much of a hearing as the Nazis got.