Fw: Comments on Breast Implant article today

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----- Original Message ----- From: ilena rose

ilena@...

Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 2:07 PM

Subject: Comments on Breast Implant article today

Friends .. there is a link at the bottom of this page to write and post your opinion.

http://www.theindependentjournal.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/19/3e53bdbf60849

(posted below)

Thanks for your article of today.

Your article on breast implants made some interesting points. There are a few comments which I believe needs further discussion.

Ms. T , {and any other women considering putting breast implants in their bodies} should definitely realize these things:

She will sign away her rights to ever sue her doctor or the manufacturer of her implants.

Should she choose to ever remove her implants, the “lifetime warranty” will cover none of this expense.

Her warranty will not cover replacement because of capsular contraction. Their words, “Warranties do not apply to the following:• Removal for capsular contracture.• Dissatisfaction with implant size or aesthetics.• Adverse reactions other than implant deflation or rupture.

This “lifetime warranty” may or may not be good in the future. All the former breast implants makers including the giants such as Dow Corning and Bristol Myers and 3M have now left the business in the recent past.

Just today, resistance to yet another antibiotic (Cipro this time) has been revealed, and all surgeries carry the very real risk of bacterial as well as other infections.

She will never be able to get a clear, unimpeded mammogram.

Her ability to breast feed may be hampered.

She may never be able to get health insurance, and if available, rates may be considerably higher because of her implants.

From one of the manufacturers own website: “most women can expect to experience at least one complication at some point through 5 years after implant surgery. The studies also indicate that the chance of additional surgery through 5 years is about 1 in 4 for augmentation patients and 1 in 2.5 for reconstruction patients.”

A carry reading of the product information, will reveal that the safety issues surrounding autoimmune diseases has NOT been established.

I head a support group with thousands of women with serious and lifetime illnesses and injuries because of their implants. They were no different than the hundreds of thousands of women getting implants this year … they believed that they would be spared and that problems were for others.

Nothing is sexier than healthy and thousands of women I personally know, would give anything to have theirs back and regret their decision to get implants.

Please Ms. Thorbahn and other women … love yourself enough to protect your body and your health.

Ilena Rosenthalhttp://www.BreastImplantAwareness.org

http://www.inamed.com/products/aug/us/physician/saline/risk.htmlhttp://www.inamed.com/pdf/us_aesthetics/M713D_Informed_Decision.pdf

http://www.theindependentjournal.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/19/3e53bdbf60849

With artificial breasts, many women find an inflated sense of happiness.

Breast Implants: The Measure of Self-Esteem?

by Ben Thacker, Contributing WriterFebruary 19, 2003

Thorbahn wants bigger breasts. She's been saving money for implants off and on since age 14, and says she's finally ready. At 21, Thorbahn, a UCF marketing major, says she is more motivated than ever to increase her bust size, though her friends say they don't think it's necessary.

"Everybody says not to do it; people say I don't need them," Thorbahn says, "But nobody needs them. I want them; I want to get them for me."

Statistics say Thorbahn is not alone. According to www.plasticsurgery.org, 219,883 women underwent cosmetic breast augmentation surgery in 2001, a number that has been rising steadily in recent years. Of the 8.08% of American women who currently have breast implants, 1 in 10 has chosen a Florida doctor to perform her surgery.

The demand for cosmetic surgery in Florida has led to a thriving presence of surgeons and clinics, presenting potential patients like Thorbahn with a plenitude of options. Internet and phonebook searches reveal pages upon pages of eye-catching websites and advertisements, which shoppers say can be helpful, but are often overwhelming.

"I did some Internet searches," said Thorbahn, who says she has finally narrowed it down to a few Florida doctors, "But it was mainly word of mouth; I've had girls swear by their doctors."

Thorbahn says she wants implants because she thinks they will make her feel better about herself.

"I like the way girls look with big boobs and I want to look like that," she said. "Maybe that's shallow and materialistic, but I don't think it is."

Other observers disagree. Zach Moldof, 21, says he thinks breast implants are disgusting.

"Fake tits are like eating wax fruit," he said. "It just boils down to the fact that plastic doesn't belong in a human chest."

Thorbahn says she doesn't care what people might think or say about her after the surgery.

"I don't understand why there's a negative stigma attached to this," she said. "But I think more people are going to react positively than negatively."

Thorbahn says she knows about the health risks associated with getting breast implants, but isn't afraid.

"I'm not nervous at all, just really excited," she said. "Worst case scenario, I just sue the doctor and he fixes them."

According to statistics taken from a Brown University study, 80-90 percent of women are happy with their breast implants. The remaining 10-20 percent of those women complain of problems ranging from hardening of scar tissue to rippling or rupturing of breast implants.

There were 43,589 implant removal surgeries performed in 2001, bringing the number up 76% from 1992. Since 1985, the FDA has received 127,500 adverse reaction reports for silicone gel-filled implants, and 49,661 for saline-filled implants. There have been 118 deaths allegedly related to breast implants, though studies have been conducted that would argue otherwise.

The FDA removed silicone gel-filled implants, which have been found to cause adverse health reactions, from the U.S. market in 1992, except for when used in reconstructive surgeries. Their saline replacements, however, according to www.implantinfo.com, still use a silicone elastomer shell.

Aside from complications from anesthesia, most risks associated with saline breast implants are said to be more aesthetic or financial than life threatening. Capsular contracture, or the hardening of scar tissue, occurs to some degree in 9 percent of women with breast implants, causing breasts to feel hard and unnatural. Implants can leak or rupture, requiring repeat surgeries to repair, or they can shift or ripple, causing an undesirable appearance.

Most doctors say the average expected lifespan of a saline-filled implant is around 15 years before it eventually deflates, but most manufacturers guarantee their products for life, replacing implants free of charge. Surgery and hospital fees are not included.

Thorbahn says she isn't intimidated by statistics and that she wouldn't mind repeat surgeries if they became necessary down the road.

"I'm worried about now," she said. "Fifteen years is a long time."

But some women don't have to wait fifteen years for problems with their implants to occur.

Chloe Davies, 24, spent over $14,000 before she was rid of her implant-related problems. After her first surgery left her with severe capsular contracture and unsightly scars, she had to pay for a second, more costly reconstructive surgery to repair the damage.

Davies says the first surgery left her a full cup size larger than what she had asked for, resulting in complications with her implants.

"It looked horrible," she said. "I couldn't wear a bathing suit."

Davies says her original implants were saline-filled and sub-glandular (placed above the pectoral muscle). Because her second surgery was considered to be reconstructive, however, she qualified for silicone implants, which were placed under the muscle (sub-muscular).

Sub-muscular implants are considered to bring less risk of capsular contracture, and interfere less with mammography, though healing times are typically longer. Sub-glandular implants, in cases without capsular contracture, supposedly look and feel more natural.

Davies says she initially wanted implants for the same reasons most girls do: to fill shirts better, to look more proportional and to look and feel better. After one botched job and four months of recovery time after fixing it, she said she wouldn't recommend breast augmentation to anybody.

"They're fine now," she said. "But if I could turn back time, I wouldn't do it again."

Aside from the risks associated with surgery, Davies says she feels as though she is typecast as "ditzy" or "loose" because of her breasts.

"I try to talk girls out of it," she said. "You're still gonna be you tomorrow, you're just gonna have big boobs."

Sharon Schaechter, on the other hand, had breast augmentation surgery two years ago and says she is extremely pleased with the results.

"Honestly, they were the best investment," she said. "It's amazing what they'll do for a person's self-esteem."

Schaechter says her experience was smooth and relatively painless, crediting her surgeon, Dr. Pinsky of West Palm Beach. She paid a total of $4,090, just above the national average, for implants; surgeon's and anesthesiologist's fees; and hospital stay.

Schaechter says she stepped up from a double-A cup-size to a full B. Dr. Pinsky fitted her with sub-muscular saline-filled implants, which he injected through small incisions in the outer nipples. Schaechter said she woke up after surgery feeling fairly well.

"I only took painkillers for two days," she said, "and then I was fine."

Schaechter says after three months, the typical amount of time it takes breast implants to soften and fully heal, hers were feeling as soft and real as natural breasts. She says most people don't believe her when she says her breasts aren't real.

Schaechter says aside from a slight loss of sensation in her left nipple, and the occasional shooting pain of reconnecting nerve endings, her surgery was a complete success.

"I was so nervous for nothing," she said. "I feel so much more secure in my body."

Schaechter says she realizes breast implants aren't for everybody, and emphasizes the importance of proper motivation.

"Do it for yourself," she said. "Do it so you can feel better."

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