Students consider breast implants

by Emily Low
Staff Writer

More college women are getting breast implants than ever before. A study done by the National Center for Policy Research for Women and Families found last year that 236,888 women underwent breast augmentation surgery.

These numbers have been increasing each year; in fact, the number of teenage girls and women who underwent augmentation surgery more than doubled from 1997 to 2002, according to a study done in March by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, said spokeswoman Diana Zuckerman.

"Many of these surgeries are for women who are replacing old implants that have broken or caused problems. Some women report over 10 surgeries as their implants are replaced over the years," says Zuckerman.

Silicone gel-filled breast implants have never been approved as safe or effective by the Food and Drug Administration. In 1992, the FDA limited their availability to clinical trials, primarily to women who have had mastectomies or breast deformities. Currently, women can also receive gel implants for first-time breast augmentation as part of a clinical trial.

"If I had the money to get breast implants, I would," said Melissa Rodriguez, a junior communications major. "I just want to fill out my shirts. As long as I didn't get them too big. In fact, I know a lot of girls my age who have implants."

Girls and women may be looking at this issue a little too hastily. There are surgical risks involving augmentation, including infection and blood or tissue fluid collecting around the implant, including many more.

Research done in 2002 by L.J. Feng of Modern Pathology indicates that at the body's temperature of 98.6 degrees, silicone implants can break down into liquid form. These researchers have found silicone in the lymph nodes of women with implants, and say it can spread to other organs of the body.

All breast implants will eventually rupture, but it is not known exactly how many years a breast implant will last. Studies done by researchers at the FDA show that most implants last seven to 12 years, but some break during the first few months. Some last up to 15 years.

Studies also show that most women had at least one ruptured breast implant within 15 years, and the likeliness of breakage increases over time. Silicone had migrated outside the breast capsule for 21 percent of women who had broken implants.

The cosmetic outcome can be very disappointing, with breasts looking and feeling very unnatural and asymmetrical, and the saline making a "sloshing sound."

All implants are foreign bodies and the woman's body reacts by forming a capsule of scar tissue around the implants that can become too tight for the implant, a common problem known as capsular contracture. If this occurs, the breasts can become misshapen, very hard and cause mild discomfort to severe pain.

"Breast implants interfere with the detection of breast cancer because implants can obscure the mammography image of a tumor. Therefore, implants have the potential to delay the diagnosis of breast cancer," said Zuckerman, a part of an FDA advisory panel reviewing the safety of saline implants. "This delay could necessitate more radical surgery or even be fatal."

According to a study done in 1997 by R. Herdman of the Institute of Medicine, women with breast implant surgery are at least three times more likely to have an inadequate supply of milk when breastfeeding.

In addition to saline and silicone implants, other kinds of implants became available in recent years, such as soybean oil filler and plastic gel implants.

However, clinical trials of these new implants were apparently never conducted on humans. The implants were removed from the market in 2000 because of safety concerns, said J. Laurance of the UK Medical Devices Agency.

Their removal from the market after praise by doctors and patients serves as a reminder that the long-term health risks are not always obvious in the first few years of use.

This year, a new and safer gel breast implant was introduced to the market of plastic surgery. This new implant, like others, has never been tested to determine if it really is safer than other breast implants. They are not approved by the FDA because the manufacturers have yet to submit sufficient evidence of safety.

"I am opposed to breast augmentation surgery because nowadays, everyone is so superficial. Divorce rates are at 50 percent, probably because everyone is too concerned with outer appearances," said Arleen Lopez, a junior communications major.

"Society has allowed the problem and addiction of plastic surgery to become this out of hand," she said.

"I think girls should get breast implants if they want them. But at least inform yourself and be aware of the health risks. I wouldn't ask my girlfriend to do it, but I do prefer bigger breasts," said Michael Harrison, a junior communications major.

What if a woman wants to reverse her surgery after discovering the many health risks? Removal can be even more expensive than the original surgery, and more complicated too.

Some surgeons discourage this decision because they feel women will be dissatisfied with the appearance of the natural breast after the implants are removed. The breast tissue stretches from the implant, and is unlikely to be as attractive as it was before the implant surgery.

Some women lose breast tissue in the removal surgery, and require a mastectomy.

"I think girls and women who get breast implants are revealing serious and profound self-esteem issues. I have been with girls whose breasts were non-existent, as well as with girls with ample breasts. There is a lot to be said about both sides of the spectrum, and both sizes have their advantages and can be equally enjoyed," said Javier Torrez, a senior business major.

Five female students at ULV who admitted to having augmentation surgery refused to further comment on their surgery for the benefit of this article and asked to remain anonymous.