The most serious problems occur when tissue around the implant contracts, the implant ruptures or the area becomes infected (Vanderkam 4).
Clearly, the safety of breast implants needs to continue to be studied. "The [FDA approval] panel stressed women will need yearly mammograms to check for signs of leakage since silicone can leak without immediate knowledge to the patient because the silicone leaks out slowly [...]. If there is leakage or a break in the implant, the implant(s) should be replaced" (Staff). However, breast implants have been totally safe for many women for years, and the recent ruling by the FDA to allow them again only adds to the strong belief many in the medical field hold that breast implants are a safe alternative for millions of women who hope to enhance their figures, or reconstruct their figures after a mastectomy.
It is quite clear that the choice to undergo breast implant surgery is a very personal decision and not the right decision for every woman. Society places a great importance on outward appearances - especially for women - and part of this importance deals directly with the figure and the bust line. Women with small breasts are someone seen as less significant than those with large breasts, in everything from Playboy magazine to cheerleaders at professional sporting events. This may not be the right attitude, and it can cause many psychological issues in women, from eating disorders to low self-esteem, it is an acknowledged fact that the "ideal" American woman has a small waist and big breasts, and millions of women would like to mold their bodies to look like that ideal. Women who undergo implant surgery often say they feel better about themselves, as one satisfied patient told an interviewer.
Leanne explained that her breasts were out of proportion with the rest of her body: "I grew up as a fairly flat chested girl and everything else, proportionately, everything else was in very nice shape. I mean, I'm blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and had a nice figure... [I felt] inadequate. I felt like I was missing something." As a result of her implant surgery, she reported feeling as if her body was correctly proportioned for the first time. "I feel like for my body weight, and my posture,...
Breast Implants What does the breast implant controversy reveal about society's attitudes toward product safety, about the legal liability of manufacturers, and about the role of regulatory agencies like the FDA in protecting consumers? The breast implant controversy is illustrating how the public will often disregard product safety. The reason why is because: celebrities, millionaires and other affluent individuals are having these procedures done. This means that consumers will begin following the
Overall complications and complexities associated with breast implants are capsular contracture or implant rupture, leakage, infection, cosmetic flaws, loss or increase of nipple sensation, bleeding or fluid accumulation (Eitenmiller, 2011). Solutions and Outcomes A Surveillance, Epidemiology and End-Results Breast Implant Surveillance Study conducted on women who received breast implants following mastectomy showed no survival disadvantage in those younger than 65 years of age (Le et al., 2005). The respondents were from San
In most societies, FGM is considered a cultural tradition, which is often used as an argument for its continuation. Though a tremendous range of practices fall under the title of female genital mutilation, understanding what is involved in the process really helps one understand why it is internationally condemned as a violation of human rights. The most drastic type of female genital mutilation is infibulation. A standard infibulation process is
Breast Cancer Treatments Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer related deaths in females and its rising incidence makes it the second most common cause of deaths due to cancer in both genders. Its incidence increases with the following risk factors, age and first degree relatives affected with the illness. However, only five to ten percent of all breast cancers are hereditary. The BRCA1, BRCA 2 and the p
In the case of breast augmentation, the parent must guide the minor to the right decision -- and that is usually not to have the surgery unless it is necessary for the teen's overall health. It is up to the adult to think responsibly. There are dangers to any surgery and infections are not among the least of them. Perhaps low self-esteem is a reason for counseling by a
S. government has promoted breast implants, at the taxpayers' expense: According to the Army, between 2000 and 2003 its doctors performed 496 breast enlargements (women must pay for the silicon implants) (Schaler 29). Health safety does not seem to have an impact on those desiring cosmetic surgery, nor does the comments of authority figures. In 1958 Pope Pins XII warned that operations for mere "vanity" or to enhance the "power of
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