Breast Implants

In the early 1980's breast implants began gaining popularity, but they have been on the market since the early 1960's. They were invented by plastic surgeons Cronin and Gerow. Dow Corning began manufacturing them commercially in 1962. Today over two million women have undergone breast augmentation surgery. There are many negative consequences that may arise from the surgery, and there is always the risk of infection or rupture. Silicone breast implants have been around for 40 years and there have been very few studies on their consequences, and possible effects on a woman's body. The Food and Drug Administration has never approved the use of silicone implants. It is a surprising fact, because silicone implants are still being used today. Breast inplants have been promoted as being safe, yet their safety has never been fully questioned.

Every woman has her own reasons behind her decision to get breast implants. Some women have undergone mastectomies, and get breast implants in order to feel "normal" again. According to the National Women's Health Network (http://www.womenshealthnetwork.org) women who have lumpectomies have the same survival rate of women who have mastectomies as a result of breast cancer. They concluded that up to 40 percent of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer underwent unnecessary mastectomies. These mastectomies, whether necessary or not may lead to women to undergo breast augmentation surgery.

Other women have always felt that their breasts were too small, and out of proportion to their bodies. There are also the women who have average to large sized breasts to begin with, but for some reason feel the need to enhance her natural form. Body image plays a large role in whether a woman decides to undergo breast augmentation surgery. Women view themselves, and judge themselves by what they see on television, movies, and in magazines. The way the media portrays women is not natural. Models and actresses are, on the most part, thin and have seemingly flawless bodies. A young impressionable girl may feel the need to look like this herself; therefore she will grow up thinking she has to be perfect and she is not good enough. Girls as young as 11 are now contemplating plastic surgery. Breast implants are being put into the bodies of 15 year olds. A fifteen year old girl does not have the mental capacity to make a life altering decision like this. This shows us that there is a problem with the way children are being raised in today's society. Any child under the age of 18 needs parental consent to have surgery, and a 15 year old girl doesn't have the money saved up to be able to afford breast implants. This means that parents are footing the bill, and putting their daughter's lives in the hands of plastic surgeons. They do this all in the name of beauty. Because the average breast implant lasts only 7-12 years by the time a young woman is 22 she may be having her second breast augmentation surgery.

The number of breast augmentation surgeries doubled in 2000, to 203,310 from 1997. This number does not include the 82,975 women who underwent the surgery for reconstruction after mastectomy. Many of those surgeries were women either replacing aging or ruptured implants, or removing them. The bottom line is that all implants will rupture and will have to be replaced at some point. The longer a woman has her implants, the higher the risk of rupture. Over a woman's lifetime she will have to undergo several surgeries, and that means increased scar tissue and the always present danger of infection. Not to mention the financial costs, and pain a woman will suffer with each additional surgery.

With so many women electing to undergo breast augmentation surgery, it is alarming that there have been very few studies with any conclusive results regarding any type of breast implant. Only in 1991 did the FDA require manufacturers of breast implants to submit safety studies. After review of the studies the FDA concluded that they were inadequate and they could not bring to a close whether silicone implants were safe or effective. Although never approved by the FDA silicone breast implants are still in limited use today.. Saline implants are the only other type of breast implant used in the United States today. These are implants with a silicone outer shell, filled with a saline solution (salt water). The FDA concluded in 2000 that this type of implant was safe, and approved its use in the U.S.

In Europe there were several different types of implants available until the year 2000. They were all advertised as a safe and natural alternative to silicone. One type was called Trilucent. This was an implant that was filled with a soybean oil based solution. It was taken off the market because it caused high risks for infection, and when the solution would leak, sometimes it would turn rancid. The filler would then break down into chemicals called aldehydes. These are DNA altering chemicals. Women with these implants were advised not to have children until they had their implants removed, and not to breast feed because of possible negative effects on infants. The other two types of implants that were banned in 2000 were Novagold and PIP Hydrogel. The government found that information on the safety of these products were lacking so took them off the market as a precautionary measure. Thousands of women now have these products in their bodies, and no one knows whether they are safe or not.

Women are putting their lives at risk everyday just to have larger breasts. "Approximately 8.08% of women in the United Stated have breast implants." (http://www.biomed.brown.edu). Most are white women in the South, or West. Sixty percent of breast implant surgery was performed on women ranging in age from 19-34. "From 1985, until September 10, 1998, the FDA received 127,500 adverse reaction reports for silicone gel-filled implants. During that same period, there have been 49,661 adverse reaction reports for saline-filled implants" and, "As of September 10, 1998, the FDA received 118 reports of deaths allegedly related to breast implants" (http://www.biomed.brown.edu). With these statistics it is surprising that women are still opting for the surgery.

With any surgery there are major risks involved. The surgical risks include infection, hematoma, and the risk of additional surgeries. These additional surgeries may be for replacement or removal of implants, or the removal of scar tissue or hematoma's which may result