The ladies here at Beauty and the Breast recently took on the subject of auctioning off breast implants, something that pops up in the news often but seems… un-remarkable?

The story that started it all was the ongoing saga of British model Jordan Price, just one of many famous women who put her implants up for sale. (video after the jump)

What do you think, readers? Would you sell your used breast implants online? Would you buy any?

Beth:

Just a comment on the breast implants being auctioned off.  This is a real problem I have with ebay.  They have rules on certain things you can sell and BREAST IMPLANTS are NOT one of them.  However, if someone, say, a celeb gets on there and will sell their USED fake boobs, it’s okay, but if someone like me for instance, not that anyone would want them, would sell my implants, my auction would be taken down.

So you ask, how do I know this?????  I started my crusade of educating the public on breast implants way back when and there were many women that were selling their implants on ebay.  Some were selling implants that had never been used. So I reported several because first of all I don’t think this is something that should be sold on ebay and their rules and regulations (I believe) specifies nothing toxic.  So when I reported some of these people, (I only reported the people that were selling them as being something safe, not those out to educate people on the dangers)

Anywho, those auctions were immediately taken down and for a while there was no one selling implants on ebay.  Then one day, I saw some celeb selling her ’special’ made implants to be reused.  I was shocked and appalled and reported her.  I mean come on USED implants to be REUSED!  BARF!  That particular auction was never taken down and since, I have noticed that any celebs selling implants are permitted to do so but someone like Joe Schmo is in violation of ‘ebay rules and policies’. So this really burns my butt.

Everyone also knows that you are not permitted to mail implants??? The post office has deemed them ‘TOXIC’?  I know that about 3 years ago, most of the top explant surgeons would mail them directly to a doctor for you but stopped because of postal rules and regulations of transporting toxic materials in the mail.

Gretchen:

Wow Beth… thanks. That is CRAZY that someone would sell that on ebay. I mean I guess “my rant” and why I am so against it is that these implants almost killed me!! Would ebay let someone put something on there that is DEADLY? It is just so frusterating that it is not known how harmful these were to us. I get so mad .. i dont know if you guys feel the same way, but that is what gets me every time is how “Casually” implants are treated.

P.S.. i had SEALED contact lenses that i wasnt even allowed to sell on ebay!

[More after the jump!]

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My shoulders  (and back and arms and thighs) have recently been on my mind as I’ve tried on numerous wedding dresses this past summer.  I’m still not quite so sure what’s the deal with 90% of wedding dresses being strapless.  I personally don’t like looking naked in close up photos, but that’s my own thing (and I get that I’m in the minority here).  So as I’m telling salespeople, “No, I do not want a strapless dress”, and seeing a frantic look of “Well, then what am I going to pull for this girl?”, (never mind when I tell them I don’t want tulle, a train, or a veil), I can’t help but think about what brides go through to get their shoulders, arms and backs in tip top shape. 

 For me, I’ve started doing pilates in hopes of developing arms like my trainer’s.  For others, apparently now there’s shoulder liposuction.  Of course the doctors are quick to say it’s only for the already thin…just so we’ll believe that there are some kind of standards here.

~Kacey

I found this great blog today called “Woman Reproduction Health.” Today’s topic was breast implants, and I just wanted to share this bloggers top 15 reasons for not getting breast implants.

1. According to the FDA, up to 10 percent of saline implants deflate in less than five years. In addition, for each year the implant spends in the body, more and more complications in it become prevalent.

2. Usually, patients with breast cancer tend to have more complications than do patients with no health problems. In fact, it is a very risky time for a breast cancer patient to perform breast implants.

3. According to the study made by the National Institute of Medicine, 40 percent of patients who’ve gotten breast implants had to go back for another operation because of the bad faults that had arisen in them.

4. According to one of the studies, 20 percent of women who performed breast implants had silicone from their implants later on to migrated to elsewhere in their body. What’s even more interesting is that doctors are aware of this yet lie that their breast implants have ruptured.

5. Mentor, a study made by the maker of saline breast implants, found that almost 30 percent of implants put in the body had to be taken back out due to bad side effects that arouse.

6. Even though it is seldom, it is still important to put into consideration that the complications brought about by the breast implants can be so severe that not only the breasts would end up getting amputated, but the lungs and the heart are affected by it also. Worst case scenario: You can die by this.

7. One of the newest implant contains vegetable oil. Thus, at some point, that implant will spoil, and since it will spoil, it will attract many microorganism, posing harm to your health.

8. Fortunately, this type of implant is not approved in the U.S. and U.K., but if you are a European patient being offered a choice of having oil-filled implants, you better watch out, because if the oil in the breast leaks into the body, it will absorb calcium, and once it enters the bloodstream, it will create a fat emboli that could kill you without any warning.

9. You will be unable to have health insurance coverage for many breast-related illness.

10. Dr. Jack A. Friedland of Scottsdale says about the breasts having implants, “If a doctor tells you they don’t have complications, they’re either not operating or they’re lying to you.”

11. A plethora of doctors performing breast implants on the patients do not have a proper qualification. Most of the states allow anyone to perform it, as long as they have a medical degree, and sell plastic surgery.

12. There have been cases where doctors have told their patients that they look great when they should instead be saying that they should be going to the emergency room.

13. Breasts with implants in them feel like cement blocks with barely a half inch of skin. This does not seem adequate if you want healthy breasts.

14. Surgery on breasts damages nerves and the sensation of the skin, not to mention the effects are irreversible.

15. Despite the fact that many operations today compensate for the cement effects, some side effects can be lethal to the extent where a reoperation is imperative.

A lot of great points were brought up that I had never thought about before. I have a list of 40 reasons not to get breast implants on my website, and this blog gave me even more reasons to add to my long and growing list!

While driving to a dentist appointment this morning, I found out that a local plastic surgeon is boasting of a new breast augmentation procedure.  Now women can be awake while watching their breast augmentation take place (accompanied by a friend/fam member of course) and actually be a part of the size/approval process.  I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this, primarily because I remember waking up in excrutiating pain and I was thankful for the hour or so that I was out cold.  But when I heard that the surgeon boasts of the operation costing less because no anesthesiologist is necessary…well, it makes me think twice.  I figure, the more doctors in the room with me, the better…but whatever.

 So is this just a crazy Dallas thing, or has anyone heard of/tried this?

 Here’s the post on the local radio’s website:

Would you want to be awake during surgery?

“Awake” Breast Augmentation

Dr. Jeffrey Caruth of Plano Aesthetics is performing a new breast augmentation procedure in which the patient is awake during surgery.

This allows the patient (and one guest) to view the “new” breasts and give their approval before the incision is closed.

If they’re too big or too small, Dr. Caruth will make the necessary adjustments. 

Since he uses local anesthesia it generally costs less because an anesthesiologist isn’t necessary.

Has anyone actually done it? Would you want to be awake for it? Did you bring a friend?

~Kacey

I got a letter from a gentlemen the other day via my website that I wanted to share. Edited for length. I hope this gives some insight to any doctors who may see this - that silicone IS toxic and can make men sick too. I am praying for this man & I am so glad he wrote to me.

“I was most interested to read your website.
While the vast majority of silicone victims are women, I would like to relate my story to you which is from a male perspective.
I had a prosthetic testicle inserted in 1983 at the age of 21. At the time, I didn’t know that it was made of silicone and I probably would not have cared. I was more concerned with the embarrassment of having a girl laugh at me for only having one testicle.

Things went well for me until 5 years later when “the rot set in”.
First thing I noticed was my digestive system ground to a halt. Even though I ate plenty of good food, I no longer got the urge to empty my bowels. When I finally did, sometimes after 5 days, the stools were loose and foul smelling. Eating extra fibre made it worse. This was explained by the doctor as being IBS. I never really believed that because I had always had excellent health up until this point.
From that stage (1988) until today I have been increasingly plagued by the following symptoms:

- Bowel/digestive problems
- Extreme sensitivity to light and certain sounds
- Constant runny nose and ear infections
- Sore/swollen joints
- Very bad anxiety and nervousness
- Symptoms similar to yeast disorder
- Acne on face and back
- Unable to eat sugar, grains or dairy without making all of my other symptoms MUCH worse.

Around 1996 I had had enough and decided to cure myself because blood tests had shown that there was nothing wrong with me. At that stage I was convinced that it was just Candida that was the problem. I tried every natural/herbal medicine under the sun and at great expense but my condition did not improve.

A couple of months ago I was sympathetically reading an article about a woman who was suffering the effects of silicone poisoning due to breast implants and I could not help but notice that nearly all of the symptoms were similar to mine. Then it hit me like a sledge-hammer. I had never in the past 25 years considered that my silicone testicular prosthesis could be the cause of my misery.

That brings me to the current day where I have made an appointment to see a urologist on August 28th 2008 with the aim of having the prosthesis removed as soon as possible.

I hope that this will bring some relief to the nightmare that I have been living for the past 25 years.”

I’m getting very tired of reading blogs, like the ones here and here and articles regarding women with breast implants are more likely to commit suicide.  These articles are basically saying that the women that commit suicide would have done it anyway whether they had implants or not.  This ‘research’, that has been done, claims that it has shown the link between the two.  Yes, there is a link but it is because implants cause chronic illnesses and financial loss and also some women realize that their implants have made their children sick as well. 

So, I must ask you to place yourself in the shoes of a women with a chronic illness.  This woman is searching for answers as to why one day she was perfectly healthy and the next she couldn’t get out of bed and was diagnosed with a load of diseases and disorders some of which she never heard of.  Then when you think that things can’t get worse, you lose your job, your home, your car, EVERYTHING. 

How would most people react to that happening in their life?  No not all would commit suicide but many probably would.  We already know that chronic illness and depression goes hand in hand.  We also know that most people that suffer from depression, ’self medicate’ themselves with alcohol.  This is a known fact. 

I have been seeing psychiatrists since I was in my 20’s and its not something that I like to talk about but one doctor I was seeing asked me an interesting question that really made me stop and think.  He asked me if I would ever consider suicide??  This was before implants mind you, my answer surprised me as I never even though of something so terrible as suicide.  My answer to him was that NO, absolutely not.  I can’t imagine doing anything like that as I’m too much of a coward.  Killing yourself takes an awful lot of courage and that is something I don’t have.  I remember the look he gave me, kind of shocked, stunned and speechless.  He paused for a while and simply said, ‘Well, lets hope you continue to be a coward’.  I always remembered that conversation between me and my psychiatrist.  Every time I heard that someone took their own life, I would always be in disbelief and thought, how could things ever get that bad?

Well, I learned that things can get that bad.  I’m not psychotic or crazy or nuts or any of the other terms that people are called that suffer from depression.  I became very ill from my saline filled silicone implants.  So ill, I lost everything I owned.  The material things weren’t as hard as losing my job as I absolutely loved what I did.  It was my entire life and I woke up every morning thankful that I was getting paid to do something that I absolutely loved to do.    Yes, I was very lucky!    

So imagine becoming so ill that you can’t work, you’ve lost your love so to speak.  You are sick and lose interest in everything because you can barely keep your eyes open.  You are in pain and no one can give you any answers to why you have become so ill.  The toxins are affecting every part of your body which makes the depression worse and you are watching your life pass you by.  I don’t think this is something that any human being can endure without at least thinking about suicide. 

If this research were true, about 70% or more of the population would be taking their lives.  Antidepressants are one of the most widely prescribed drugs out there!  So this research to me is completely bogus.  I know as I lived through it!

I had my explant in November of 2004, a month after trying to take my own life.  On the way to the hospital, all I thought was that I hope I never wake up from this surgery.  That was the toxins affecting me because as soon as those damn things were removed, I started to feel better.  Yes, I still suffer from depression.  Many people do but it doesn’t mean they are going to go and kill themselves.  I suffer from depression but now if someone ever asked me if I would consider suicide, my answer would be that I’m too much of a coward.  Many say that committing suicide is the act of a coward but unless you have reached that low in your life, you would know that it really is just the opposite. 

This is a hard topic for me and I’m not looking for sympathy because I’m very happy with my life and I feel like certain things happened to me for a reason.  I feel fortunate once again.  Maybe not lucky but give me a few more years!

Another prime example is the heart breaking story of P.J. Brent.  The medical examiner said that P.J. Brent had such high levels of platinum in her body that she couldn’t have possibly been thinking clearly.  Also, the implants she thought were safe, made two of her children very ill as well.  I must ask you if this is something that you would be able to endure?  How do you fight the effects of chemicals in your body without going crazy?  Breast implants can make women feel like they are going crazy.  I know as I’ve experienced it.  I would be willing to bet if this woman never got implants, she would still be alive today.  What person could endure such heart ache and physical pain??? 

Beth

Finally! Real Breasts are Back! According to the Times of India, read on!

The bosom has changed its shape! It’s not being pushed up, anymore! But being allowed a bit of natural gravity. Too much of a boob thing, is a turn-off. The official breast of 2008, is soft, sublte and natural. And not, pushed up, in your face!

We’re living in an age, not many know the real shape of the breast women carry under their kurtas. After all, we’re living in a culture of Wonderbra. And we’re over-exposed to the divas of the cleavage cult like Pamela Anderson, Sherlyn Chopra, who have made flat-chested women extinct!

So, are women wearing their breasts differently? What’s the official breast of 2008? Says plastic surgeon Dr Tejinder Bhatti, “The official breast is natural and not too big. It’s not in your face.

While women of Brazil and Argentina want overpowering breasts, those in India are going in for a subtle change. We get women who want a soft, rounded and high shape of the bosom.”

The West had moved beyond the flat, boyish chest popular during the 1920s, the vital stats of the first Miss America in 1921 were 30-25-32. In 1970s, it was 34-21-34!

Interestingly, curious things have happened to the bosom shape — Ayesha Takia reportedly wants to get rid of her big assets, Jessica Simpson has topped a new poll by a magazine to find the best boobs in Hollywood, former supermodel Tyra Banks came second, while actress Scarlet Johansson was third, Carmen Electra was fourth and, surprisingly, Lindsay Lohan was named fifth.
Just till last season, cleavage was in. Not anymore.

Why even The Guardian reports, there was Elizabeth Hurley, Elle Macpherson, Cindy Crawford - all women in their 40s, all sporting an impeccable, mad-for-it cleavage… Now that we’ve tired of ‘It Bags’, peachy ‘It Breasts’ have rolled into the public arena. Says designer Raakesh Agarvwal, “The official breast of 2008, is well-rounded in a corset. But this corset is covered-up, the breasts aren’t too big, they’re subtle, shy and covered. There’s rise of feminity which is not vampish, but proud.”

We’re living in an age, most celebrities flaunt their assets at the merest provocation. Yet, the boob overdrive needs to slow down.
Look at the lingerie war — the winner is the shy, soft, natural breast. Says fitness trainer, Leena Mogre, “The shape of the breast in fashion is well-rounded, firm and not sagging. Too much silicon means they’re hard. I tell women, to choose their bras with extreme care, especially for excercise.”

On the catwalk for fall-winter ’08, the breast will be higher and gentler. Says designer Gaurav Gupta, “And the cleavage though very visible will be veiled in transparent layering.”

Sadly, as women try to get perfect breasts off the shelf, implants and silicon breasts turn-off men like never before, “The natural breast is the way to be, which sags with gravity and has unique softness not silicon artificial layering,” adds Bhatti.

Who on earth would do something this bizzarre??  It is freaky beyond words.  All I can say is that he will win the prize for the scariest costume on Halloween but this man walks around like this everyday……..why??? 

If I saw this man in a dark alley or anywhere for that matter, I’d run like hell!!!  I just don’t understand why someone would want to look like this not to mention inserting a silicone star in his forehead and an eye tattoo??? 

Maybe not such a good role model for his children?  What do you think?

Beth

Well here is some great news!  The OC Register reports that ‘according to Allerghan and Mentor, women are cutting back on breast enhancements!  Lets hope this trend continues.  It seems to be blamed on the economy but its wishful thinking on my part that when the economy turns around this trend will continue! 

Beth

Shown here is a picture of the new lady, Aja Rock that Tommy Lee has been reportedly hanging out with along with her deformed looking breast.  Aja Rock is a contestent on an overseas reality show ‘Celebrity Treasure Island’. 

First of all, if my breast looked like this, I would not be wearing what she has on. 

The article states that this is due to capsular contrature and in order to fix it, she will need to have the scar tissue removed.  This is also known as the capsule and can make the breasts hard, painful and deformed looking like you see in this picture.

The article states that in order to fix this problem, she will need to have a capsulectomy to remove the scar tissue.  Also stated is that there is no need to remove the implants as they can be placed back in after the scar tissue or capsule is removed.  Doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me and sounds very risky. 

This is her 3rd boob job so maybe it’s a good time for her to think about removing these things and going all natural. 

I could never figure out why women go to such extreme’s for a set of fake looking boobs. 

Beth