Fw: New Year, New Breasts? Newsweek article with risks greatly minimized ...

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From: ilena@... (Ilena) Newsgroups: alt.support.breast-implant Subject: New Year, New Breasts? Newsweek article with risks greatly minimized ...

http://www.msnbc.com/news/855581.asp#hea

HEALTH New Year, New Breasts? By Springen

The number of breast augmentations performed annually has grown fivefold since the early 1990s

Renae Waestman, 27, had always wanted the perfect hourglass figure: she thought her small breasts didn’t go well with her slender waist and ample hips. It’s not that she wanted the bust of Pamela — Zeta-’s would do just fine. So, two years ago, Waestman went to a top plastic surgeon. Today, owing to two saltwater-filled sacs, she’s the proud owner of a C-cup chest, up nearly two sizes from what nature gave her. “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done,” says Waestman, a project manager for a southern California design firm. A decade ago breast implants seemed to be on the way out. The old kind—filled with silicone gel—were linked to debilitating health problems, so-called connective-tissue diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. They became the subject of class-action lawsuits, and in 1992 the Food and Drug Adminis tration banned their cosmetic use. For a year or so, augmentations plummeted. Not for long. Thanks to saline implants and the eternal appeal of a bigger bust, more women than ever are choosing surgical enhancement. Since the early ’90s, breast augmentations have increased fivefold—to more than 206,000 in 2001 alone, and doctors say the numbers continue to increase. (An additional 81,000 had breast reconstruction, typically after mastectomies.) Not only is the number of procedures growing dramatically, the average size of implants has increased 40 percent since the 1980s. One of the two U.S. manufacturers is seeking FDA approval of new silicone models, which tend to have a more natural look and feel. Some plastic surgeons are betting they’ll be back later this year. No one should mistake the fact that implant surgery is a real operation. It’s usually done under general anesthesia, leaves one- to two-inch scars and carries the possibility of complications ranging from infection to leakage. Some patients return to the OR to change the size or shape (there are dozens of variations to choose from), repair defects or remove the devices altogether. Moreover, no implant is permanent—like a heart pacemaker, it requires replacement, often within 15 years. Implants also make diagnostic mammography more difficult, may interfere with breast-feeding and can result in hardening of breast tissue. Finally, there’s the financial aspect: the full tab for cosmetic augmentation is about $6,000, and insurance doesn’t cover it.

For more information...

If you absolutely must have a bigger bust, do your homework:

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www.fda.gov--Unbiased info

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plasticsurgery.org--Info and referrals to certified surgeons

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surgery.org--Info and referralsto certified surgeons

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implantinfo.com--Three thousand before-and-after photos

The relatively good news is that the health scare of the early ’90s has abated. In 1999, a federal report concluded there was little evidence that silicone implants caused serious health problems. But if you simply must fill out that bikini top, here are a few things to consider. Choose a board-certified surgeon. Ask such questions as which implant is best suited to your body type (very thin women don’t do as well, since wrinkles in the implant tend to show); what the best incision is (in the nipple, or under the breast or armpit); whether the implants will go under the chest muscle (80 percent of procedures are done this way, which produces more natural-looking breasts and better mammography but longer recovery time), and, of course, which size implant is optimal. (U.S. women usually opt to increase busts by two cup sizes, says plastic surgeon Leroy Young. It’s not a particularly subtle switch; even so, many women after the fact wish they’d gone bigger.) Many physicians suggest patients bring in photographs of women they’d like to look like; some have women put on a bra with the sample implants to get a sense of their new figure. If and when silicone implants return, they will provide yet another option, though they are messier to clean up if they leak, and they require a longer incision. Ask any physician you’re considering for referrals and check with medical societies about complaints and malpractice claims. Also ask your doctor about warranties on the implants. Web sites abound with information. An interesting one is Arlene Cummings’s implantinfo.com, funded by plastic surgeons, which allows prospective patients to search through before-and-after photos of 3,000 women. If you decide a bigger breast is best, it’s better to do your homework before the knife starts cutting than to be disappointed a fter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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