I could rattle off a million reasons why women should not get breast implants. But at the top of my list, and what I have spent my life working on, is the issue of informed consent – a patient fully understanding the risks of this cosmetic surgery before going under the knife. Of course, in my biased opinion, anyone who chooses to undergo breast augmentation clearly does not have a good understanding of what could happen or they wouldn’t do it! But there are very real obstacles in the way of women getting all the necessary information and being able to conduct a good risk assessment, some of which I would like to lay out here:

No one really knows how long implants actually last and what their long-term effects could be.

Breast implants are indeed one of the most researched medical devices, but the research (predominantly paid for by implant manufacturers) has been “front-loaded.” Almost all the safety data collected thus far has been from women who had implants for a relatively short time, less than five years. Implant recipients, however, keep these devices in their bodies for decades. In a recent New York Times article, Dr. Stephen Li, who has served on three of the FDA’s panels that reviewed implant safety, acknowledged that silicone implants are “a device that you have only three or four years of data for,” and admitted that “we don’t know specifically how long implants last.”

There still critical work to be done in looking at the long-term health risks of breast implants. The absence of research in the longer time frame, however, is a fact not widely known or understood, even among plastic surgeons. How, then, can it be conveyed to women?

(more…)

Brazilian Carnival celebrity Angela Bismarchi has her eye on a prize: to be the Guinness World Record holder for having the most plastic surgery. At 42 procedures, Angela is closing in on current world-record holder Cindy Jackson, who bills herself as the “Living Doll” and has her own line of skin-care products, which, I would guess, help minimize scarring.

(more…)

We found this astonishing ad on the copyranter blog.

(more…)

A girlfriend sent me this today. I loved it & wanted to share it here.

(more…)

Over the last decade, every thing we’ve seen in the media - on TV, the news, reality shows, advertising, magazine covers, etc. - has depicted the extremely thin woman as being the norm.

Fortunately, it is becoming more evident in the last few months that society in general may be starting to revolt and declare that the waif with the voluptuous bosom is NOT the real American woman.

(more…)

What is “annuity medicine?” Annuity medicine refers to the fact that once a patient walks into a doctor’s office, the doctor gets an annuity because he knows the statistics that will bring her back for operation after operation. She becomes his insurance policy for a great practice.

Well, three cheers for the New York Times for identifying breast implants, the most popular cosmetic surgery in this county, for what it is: annuity medicine! Today, the venerable newspaper published an important and timely article on the front page of its Fashion and Style section, which brings some much-needed attention to the many important issues around breast implants, issues that have largely disappeared from the public discussion. The article’s focus is on the ongoing financial costs of breast implants, which is very appropriate as American families feel the pinch of a slowing economy.

(more…)

A girl is spread-eagle over Times Square. The billboard is courtesy of Target. Amy Jussel, executive director of Shaping Youth, which focuses on the influence of marketing and media on kids, wrote about it on her blog. She also called the media people at Target Corporation, left her concern, her contact information, and a request for a call back. This is what she got:

Good Morning Amy,

Thank you for contacting Target; unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with non-traditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest.

Once again thank you for your interest, and have a nice day.

Whoa, wait a minute! Aside from the tastelessness of the ad itself, the bloggers here at Beauty and the Breast are just totally offended by Target’s disdain for those of us NOT in traditional media. Traditional media is failing for a reason, namely that it’s not doing a good enough job informing the public on such things as, oh, I don’t know, breast implants?

Furthermore, we thought Target’s “core guests” are the with it and hip, a demographic that comfortably fits in the 18 to 49 age range. Well, about 85 percent of such people are online, and NOT exclusively hanging out at, say, newyorktimes.com. They are spread across gaming sites, social networking sites and… blogs. Gawker, the Smoking Gun and Digg are among in the Top Ten News and Information sites in 2007. They certainly don’t think of themselves as traditional media. If their reps called, would Target shun them too?

So now we know. Walmart may be evil, but Target’s just plain stupid.

TAG: Target

So here we are before our FDA meeting. It’s always a little intimidating to go see your government officials, but we have learned over the years that as consumers it is important to speak out and let the FDA know what’s going on with women. When you focus on the fact that the visit could actually benefit all of us, then it’s not as scary. The FDA needs us, too, you know.

Our meeting at the FDA was interesting and informative. Here we are with Dr. Uhl, assistant commissioner for women’s health at the US Food and Drug Administration. She was happy to know of our work with the different support groups. She supported all of us working together to help educate women and keep communication flowing.
(more…)

Myrl’s terrific post about what we learned about product liability law suits from the breast implant litigation prompts me to sound the alarm for what’s happening today. The Supreme Court is poised to make a decision with far-reaching consequences for consumers and could very well affect you someday.

This spring, the Court will hand down its decision on Riegel v. Medtronic. Charles Riegel underwent coronary angioplasty in 1996. During the procedure, the balloon ruptured, and advanced cardiac life support and emergency coronary bypass surgery were needed. He and his wife are suing Medtronic, claiming that the device was defective and the labeling inadequate, but Medtronic is arguing the because the FDA approved the product, it can’t be held responsible or culpable for injuries, even if the product is faulty.

(more…)

For more than a decade now, I have watched women who harmed by silicone breast implants try to sort out the illness and symptoms they experienced post-implantation, try to separate real dragons from the paper ones. What disease and symptomatic conditions really do come from silicone and breast implants? Since 1995, I have been a conduit of scientific studies and evidential material that fall into my hands, distributing the information among women made ill by implants. More than one doctor or scientist has appeared on the scene heeding the call for help figure it out, but they have mostly been beaten down or back by an army of defendant-supported doctors and scientists. So, who is right and who is wrong?

Looking back (and for many years, I have) has allowed me some clarity. I would like to share a little of it here, for the benefit of those who find themselves corralled in monstrous product-liability class action suits, which are not so different from those breast implant victims have endured for so many years.

(more…)