After a little persuasion from my husband and a few close family members, I finally decided to join Facebook last week.  Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

What I didn’t realize about Facebook before I signed up, was that it is much more then just putting up a profile, uploading pictures and getting back in touch with old friends.  Facebook includes hundreds if not thousands of “applications” that you actually “add” to your page. The applications are anything from adding “the quote of the day” to your page, to adding little “stickers,” various quizzes that you can take to test your knowledge on different subjects, to sending and receiving various “gifts” to and from your friends. The “gifts” include anything from flowers, to little hatching eggs, to drinks, to “karma.”

As I was learning the ins and outs of Facebook over the last two weeks, I was browsing the pages of my friends, and to my surprise and shock, one of my friends had received various “boobies” from her friends. I learned quickly that people are sending each other photos of different breasts and adding the photos straight to their page.  After my shock wore off a bit, I decided to take a closer look at this facebook “application.” In order to do this, I had to add the application to my page. So, I pressed the button to add the application, did my research, and quickly deleted the application before anyone noticed that I added it.  What I found through my five minutes of  research was that there were about 45 different types of “boobies” that you could send and receive. A few of the boobies included the following:

Motivational Boobies

Fake Boobies (though ALL of the boobies were fake, so I really didn’t get that one.)

Sporty Boobies

Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I found this particular application extremely annoying, to say the least. Who, but an immature teenager would think receiving and sending photos of fake breasts is interesting, cool, or “okay” for that matter? Aren’t we inundated with fake breasts ENOUGH? What is this teaching the millions of teenagers that are part of Facebook, that women’s bodies and breasts are just objects? Come on Facebook, you can do better.

I was listening to the radio this morning as I was getting ready for work and I was shocked to hear my favorite radio DJ’s talking about this story!! A man in Florida was arrested for holding “buttocks pumping parties” in various hotels around Florida. Anthony Solomon of Miami who is without any type of medical license was pumping women’s asses full of straight silicone!

Dr. Seth Thaller, chief of plastic surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, said he often sees patients seeking relief for pain and infection and outright removal of silicone and other substances from such injections.

“Sometimes the silicone is industrial grade, from lubricants. Lord knows how much they put in or what they put in. It must be a good-sized needle.  Then it leaches. It spreads all over. It’s hard to get out.  In a few cases, such injections have spread through the bloodstream to the lungs, creating pulmonary embolisms and causing death. How can anybody let people without credentials inject something in them?” he said.

Okay ladies, you know these comments are coming next. What in the world are these women thinking?!!!  Is “beauty” and “vanity” THAT important that you would let a strange man, without a medical license inject “whatever” into your ass in a hotel room! I am just beside myself on this!

On top of that…..if the medical community is acknoweding that pumping the ass full of straight silicone poses a serious health risk, then why do they refuse to admit that breast implants do the same? Saline breast implants are encased in a silicone shell, we all know full well that saline implants rupture…I know mine did (after only 3 years!) Doesn’t that silicone from the shell go straight into the body just like if you were injecting it into the body?! Silicone implants are even worse! Plastic surgeons and implant manufacturers would have you believe that the silicone stays within the implant, but it is simply not true. The body attacks the silicone implant, chipping off small pieces of silicone that are then taken all over the body! Breast implants are man-made! We all know that nothing man-made is perfect, these devices have serious flaws.  The rupture rate is astronomical and platic surgeons don’t think that is a big deal! How can it not be a big deal when silicone is seriously harmful to the human body!?

I was absolutely delighted to see this blog published in the OC Register today. The blog was written by Colin Stewart and is called “Breast Implants are like cell phones – much loved, but a problem.” Colin starts off his blog by pointing another interesting blog, which was written in the Freakonomics section of the NY Times on June 18th. He points out that it wasn’t so much the blog itself that was interesting, but the barrage of comments that came after the blog was published that struck everyone’s interest! Women were coming out of the “woodworks” to share their thoughts about breast implants, including their major life-altering health problems stemming from breast implants. I’m sure that the NY Times and Dr. Zenn (the plastic surgeon that was interviewed for the NY Times blog) had no idea what was to come after this blog was published. Women attacked Dr.Zenn’s comment on the safety level of breast implants. The author of the NY Times blog asked Dr. Zenn which implant is safer, silicone or saline, and if all of the concerns surrounding breast implants were all hoopla. Dr. Zenn answered that silicone and saline implant have the same level of safety, and that yes the concerns are all hoopla. Women who have actually had/have breast implants implanted into their bodies had quite the difference in opinion!

Colin then goes on to wittily point out the similarity in cell phones and breast implants. He points out that both are embraced by enthusiastic consumers who are willing to overlook the problems they cause. Colin says “With cell phones, the problems tend to be dropped calls and inaudible conversations. With breast implants, the problems range from minor flaws in breast appearance to major health crises that require medical intervention.”

Last year alone, 30,000 women removed their Breast Implants. To me, THAT alone is reason to be concerned over a “medical device.” There is a reason that these women removed their implants. I’d like to know when the medical community (independent from plastic surgeons and implant manufacturers) is going to start studying WHY so many women are removing their implants. I’d also like to see some long-term, independent studies on what the true health concerns are with breast implants. There are too many women who are having problems and serious health concerns. This issue simply cannot be over-looked, pushed aside and ignored any longer. Women deserve to know the truth. We deserve to know exactly what we are getting ourselves into when we choose to enlarge our breasts with silicone. 

Beauty and The Breast would like to thank Colin Stewart for giving both sides to this very controversial issue. All too many times, publications, websites and articles only share the opinions and beliefs of the plastic surgery community, and never bother sharing the opinions of the women who have been harmed by breast implants.

A spike in the unemployment rate - the biggest in more than two decades, oil prices up to nearly $150 a barrel, the dollar has lost tremendous value against the euro and the yen, homes in foreclosure crossing the 1 million mark during the first quarter of 2008, a record high. Yes yes, we all know by now that the current U.S economy has taken a terrible downturn and is headed for a possible recession. As Americans are “feeling in the pinch,” more and more are tightening their wallet strings and opting out of purchasing discretionary items.  Cosmetic surgery is like any other discretionary item. Because of that, cosmetic surgery along with everything else has declined along with the declining economy.

I read this article in the NY Times today which talks about how the “top” plastic surgeons in the US used to have waiting lists to come see them that were two years long, now the waiting list is only a month. Many of these surgeons contribute this to the growing concerns over the economy, some over the loss of interest in plastic surgery, some to the increasing numbers of people opting for non-surgical procedures—such as botox, instead of a face-lift. 

Dr. Anthony Giffin a popular plastic surgeon in Los Angelos said “I think it’s related to the economy.  We had people refinancing their homes and using them as A.T.M.s to pay for procedures like liposuction and breast augmentation.” Dr. Linda Li, another popular surgeon in Beverly Hills said  “If it’s a choice between putting food on the table or gas in the car or surgery, the choice is obvious.”  Lei Huang, a senior analyst for Summer Street Research Partners said “There is definitely a trading down from big-ticket procedures.  People considering entire face-lifts may hold off on that for a few years and tell themselves, ‘I might go in for a little bit of botox in the forehead and a little filler around the mouth because that may be all I can afford right now.’ ”  “I think it is due to nonplastic surgeons getting a bigger piece of the pie,” Dr. Michael Kane, a plastic surgeon in Manhattan said.  When it comes to facial procedures, plastic surgeons are experiencing increased competition from other doctors (such as facial surgeons, eye surgeons and dermatologists), according to a new economic forecast published this month in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

What I found interesting was that this article also points out what two plastic surgeons said in a journal article. “It is clear that plastic surgeons continue to dominate cosmetic surgery of the breast and abdomen but are battling increased competition and even falling behind in the area of facial cosmetic surgery.”

So, how I read is that is that plastic surgeons are losing ground in the area of facial cosmetic surgery as more women are opting for procedures that cost less and do not require surgery, but that they will not have to “share their piece of the pie” when it comes to breast implants.  What that tells me is that plastic surgeons are going to be pushing this procedure even harder now because…well, they don’t have a choice. If they want to keep their practice and keep the patients coming through their door….drastic times call for drastic measures.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard a woman say “I went to my plastic surgeon to get a breast lift and he/she talked me into implants,” or “I went to my plastic surgeon to have my implants removed and my he/she told me that I would look terrible and tried to talk me into just having them replaced,” or “my plastic surgeon told me implants are perfectly safe and I believe him because he does this every day.”  Well ladies, this article and these reasons are why your plastic surgeon says these things. As we have already pointed out here at Beauty and The Breast, breast implants are an annuity medicine, you have to keep coming back for more and more. More and more money out of your pocket and into the plastic surgeon’s bank account.  Plastic surgeons will do anything to keep their schedule full, especially during these difficult economic times.

Teen plastic surgery is hitting the news again.  And it’s not surprising given the statistics.

 The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reports that 87,600 surgical operations were performed on 13-19 year olds in 2007, mostly for breast reduction in young males and nose reshaping. The teen surgeries represent 5 percent of overall procedures.

In an article picked up by Reuters, one doctor is trying to find a publisher for his book on teen surgery, and he isn’t finding any takers.  A voice of reason (psychologist) steps in and basically says that we should be trying to encourage self-esteem building from the inside not the outside, while acknowledging that extreme cases may very well need medical intervention.

In the article it mentions that the doctor has given a breast lift to a child that “had breasts that sagged like a 60 year old”, and who consequently started acting out and developed an eating disorder.  After her breast lift, reportedly the eating disorder disappeared.  But before this comment it says:

“But he says surgery has made a profound difference to his patients, even in the controversial area of breast implants which are generally discouraged by the ASPS for the under-18s.”

Apparently breast lifts aren’t all he’s willing to perform on teens.  And I’m guessing those teens that ended up with breast implants courtesy of the nice doctor, now report a higher self-esteem?  Job well done, right?  Let’s give those teens what they want for the moment, in the moment.  And while we’re at it, let’s throw in a free pair for mom and make it a family affair; afterall, she’s the one who went to all the trouble of bringing the child in in the first place.  Isn’t it nice when parents make the sale and you don’t have to?

Thank goodness my mom thought that I was fine just the way I was (when I told her I was getting breast implants at 19); too bad I didn’t.

 ~Kacey

Alright everyone, I’m hoping this post is going to strike up some interesting comments and opinions. This is something that I hear over and over again from the “pro-implant” and “pro-plastic surgery” people. They seem to think that if women are against breast implants and plastic surgery then that automatically makes them against using sunscreens, anti-aging lotions, hair dyes, braces, make-up and other “products” to help them look their best and assist them in keeping their youthful appearances.

I recently read this blog where it talks about how actress and mother, Cate Blanchett openly “poo poos” plastic surgery. Cate says that she doesn’t find it attractive when people get work done and that their motivation is “self obsession” and “fear.” She also said: “For me, I think what will be sexy in 50 years time will be wrinkles. Look at a man or a woman in their 50s and all I see when they have brushed their years away with surgery is self-obsession and fear. That’s not particularly attractive.”

What I found most interesting was that in this same blog, as well as this one and this one, people were actually condemning Cate for endorsing and being a spokesperson for a skincare line called, SK-II. Cate says she uses one of their products, a moisturizing skin mask made of cotton, every morning while she makes her sons’ breakfast. Many people seem to think that Cate is being a hypocrite for saying she is against plastic surgery, but then at the same time she is using an expensive anti-wrinkle cream on her face every day.

For the life of me I cannot figure out how the two things are connected. Plastic surgery is trying to be something you are not, completely changing a body part (or multiple body parts for some people.) Using a wrinkle cream is only putting in the effort to “look your best.” I don’t know about the rest of you, but just because I am not a big fan of breast implants and plastic surgery in general doesn’t automatically mean that I don’t try and look my best everyday. But, the biggest difference in those who go under the knife to look their best; is that I am using what I was born with to look my best, just putting my best foot forward everyday. Yes, I wear make-up, I put lotion with sunscreen on my face everyday, I use hair styling products and I exercise regularly. Does that make me a hypocrite? Should I walk out of the house everyday only wearing a paper bag, with my hair disheveled, zero make-up on, and never use sunscreen just because I am not a fan of plastic surgery? I’d love to hear what others have to say on this topic.

“I am a research engineer that works primarily with materials. PVC is used because it is the cheapest durable plastic, and its properties can be customized with additives. Not only is PVC harmful, the additives are harmful too (if not worse). For women and mothers everywhere, pay close attention to the use of PVC in anything that touches you or your child, especially when it comes to baby’s toys and sex toys. Visit wikipedia for a very thorough discussion on this plastic.”  ~Mr. Engineer

Mr. Engineer,  

Thank you for your comments. I thought your insightful post needed to be the focus of our next discussion.  I seemingly meet people with priviledged information all of the time. While vacationing one year, I met a researcher who had found a connection between hair dye and cancer. When their research was really starting to make strides, she said the FDA came in, collected everything, and said they’ll be taking over the study…and then she never heard anything more of it. She said that this was typical when researchers find something that could cause a lot of concern and the FDA gets wind of it. By the way, from what she said, it might be a good idea to avoid every color but brown.

Another time, a doctor of mine mentioned that during his residency, he was helping with a study on artificial sweeteners and their effect on rats. He said that every one of the rats got cancer during the study, and that they were instructed to surgically remove the cancer, and then the rats were considered “cancer-free”. Nevermind that they all got cancer from the sweeteners, with the cancer removed they could pretend it never happened. ***Did you know that in breast implant studies, often times the women that remove their implants (for whatever reason) are automatically dropped from from the study altogether?  Now I’m sure the public would be curious to know WHY they removed their implants (personal choice, health problems, capsular contracture, rupture, etc.).  That’s information that would be HELPFUL to a study, I would think.

These are just examples of a small amount of the information I’ve been exposed to by the professionals that have been involved with research. I wish we could all know what is really going on, from the people who see it happening every day. The best tool we have in this day and age is the Internet, as free-speech can truly prevail and companies are not able to stop our messages (or at least for the most part).

Thanks again for giving us a heads up. I encourage others to do the same, as we should all help each other to be as safe and healthy as possible. You’d think the FDA was looking out for us (they can barely keep up with produce by the way), but that’s just something we tell ourselves at night to help us sleep better.

Any other things we should look out for, readers?

~Kacey

I think that today’s society, men, women, and the pressure to be perfect has the largest effect on women who choose to get breast implants. I am 23 years old, 5′7, 140 pounds and a B cup. Well, barely a B, but I am still a B. I am desperate to have my breasts done. I cry about it and obsess over it. I could care less whether or not it is safe, I am willing to take the risk and for what? For what other people think of me. I know it is ridiculous, I have a boyfriend who thinks I’m crazy, but I can’t help but think whenever a girl walks by with a large C cup and a small waist that he would much rather be with her at night then with me. I’m miserable. It does not stop at my breasts, it is my entire body. I am constantly picking myself apart, and some days I’m too depressed to get off the couch and get dressed. If it weren’t for that fact that I had to go to work, I wouldn’t get up at all sometimes.

Now, I know what this is from. I had an eating disorder, I was bulimic and anorexic in high school, in fact it started in 8th grade and I like to believe that I am over it, but I’m not. Recently I was complaining about my body when my boyfriend looked at me and made a comment very unlike him to make; He said “you know that is very unattractive, no self confidence”. Now, I know that men like self confidence, but honestly I did not even think he was listening half the time when I would rant and rave about my body. He then said “I think you’re sexy and there is nothing wrong with you”. However, from the years of looking at the unrealistic women in the magazines and internal dialog I’ve created with myself, I cannot believe him. I think that he is saying these things just to shut me up.

I’m writing all of this because I know that so many young women are affected by these things. I was very sexually promiscuous when I was younger for nothing more than the feeling that I was “good enough” whatever that is and I have done many horrible things to my mind, body, and soul all in the pursuit of being “pretty enough” or “sexy enough”.

The media, women, men, and what goes on within yourself all contribute to why women are willing to put their lives on the line for the “perfect” body. I’ve now begun to keep these thoughts and feelings inside as I do not want to turn my boyfriend off any more than I believe I already do and returning to destructive habits of throwing up certain foods that I think I do not need to eat. Common sense wise, I know that I am not fat, but for some reason when I look in the mirror or hear myself think that is all I tell myself. I pick myself apart constantly and part of my wanting breast augmentation is because (even though I know it is not true) I think maybe, just maybe, I will feel better about myself and these constant thoughts of inadequacy and imperfection will go away.

We recently received the above comment to one of our posts here at Beauty and The Breast, and I thought it was important to highlight this comment because these comments are ones that we hear far too often from young women.

First, I wanted to say to this young woman that I think most all women can relate to what you are saying. I do feel like you left this comment for us because you are trying to reach out, understand yourself better and just try to see if there are other’s that can relate to you. I will be the first to tell you that—–yes, we can ALL relate.

I also want to say that I was in your shoes not that many years ago. I had low self-esteem, I never felt pretty enough, sexy enough, desired enough, smart enough, etc. I decided to go through with getting breast implants when I was 25 years old. I thought they would be the answer to all of my problems, all of my self-esteem issues, and that all would be right in the world if I had them. The truth was that breast implants did not change any of that for me. I was still the exact say girl I always was; only now I was constantly trying to cover myself up because it was very obvious that I had implants. Every time I’d put on a bathing suit everyone would stare at me because my breasts looked like two awkward grapefruits stuck to my chest. I never wore low-cut clothing because; again I was embarrassed that everyone knew I had fake breasts. I have many many friends and family members who have breast implants, and they are the exact same way…constantly trying to “keep them under wraps.”

What you also need to remember is that for a lot of women breast implants make them look heavier and their waists shorter. That is one thing that I don’t think a lot of women think about before getting their implants, and then they are disappointed at the way their bodies look with implants. I know many women who have decided just a few weeks or a few months after getting implants that they are not all they are cracked up to be and opt to have them taken out. Mostly because they are awkward and fake-looking, make them look heavier and just don’t look right on their bodies.

Before going under the knife to get breast implants, or any cosmetic surgery for that matter I think women need to stop and ask themselves “why am I doing this?” Is it because you think by doing it all of your problems are going to be solved, or your life is going to better, or your self-esteem will be higher? Because breast implants won’t solve ANY of those things. One important lesson I have learned over the past couple of years is that self-esteem and beauty starts from the inside, it isn’t something that you can buy from a plastic surgeon, or by getting plastic bags inserted into your chest. Far too women think implants will solve their problem….in reality…they won’t.
Now, don’t get me wrong I know we are inundated with “perfect” looking women in magazines, on TV, in the movies…it’s everywhere. And, I know that this is something that is never going to change. Us “real” women are always going to have to compete with these “perfect” women (who by the way aren’t all that perfect, everyone has flaws,) but if we can somehow find our own inner beauty and see & accept our own unique beauty…it is only then that we will be truly beautiful. Self-confidence is what is beautiful, not a manufactured body part.

Melissa, I hope you will be able to find peace and acceptance within yourself, and be able to love yourself as you were created. It sounds like you have a very loving boyfriend, who thinks you are very sexy…what else matters? And, you sound like you have a wonderful body that a lot of women would love to have. I hope you will stop comparing yourself to other girls. You are only setting yourself up for failure when you don’t feel you are as pretty or as perfect as the girls in the magazines. It sounds like your issues are very deep-seated, which scares me and I hope you will take our advice and see a counselor. Getting breast implants is not the answer to your problems, your problem is stemming from what is in your head…you already know that. You need to work on loving and accepting yourself, the day you will be able to do that is the day you will see that you don’t need breast implants to be beautiful.

You are right when you say “so many young women are being affected by these things.” Your comment made it sound like they were a disease…which in my mind THEY ARE! I hope you will not be one of the young women affected by them, because trust me…they aren’t worth it. I wish my whole heart and soul that I could turn back the clock to 5 years ago and never get them. For me, would you consider never letting them affect your life like they have mine?
Sincerely, Krista

Am I the only one who thinks Hilary Duff looked better on Lizzie McGuire? She seemed more confident as she flaunted a look that was uniquely her own. I was disappointed when I saw her years later, looking like she gave into celebrity pressures and conformed to a model mentality. Sure I understand that she had to grow up, and that some of the baby weight would fall off…but the change was still quite drastic. There is some talk about whether or not she has had breast augmentation surgery in addition to the rhinoplasty and veneers she has reportedly added (http://www.makemeheal.com/news/breast-augmentation-hilary-duff/407). I gave her the benefit of the doubt before I saw the picture in the black strapless dress (and of course if she’s already had a few cosmetic procedures done…it’s a lot easier to see that she’d think another is no big deal, like we sometimes do).A plastic surgeon commented that, “It is definitely possible she may have had a breast augmentation. The edges of her breast look very defined, which can be a sign of breast implants.” This is exactly what it looks like in the picture of her in a black dress. What do you think, is pre or post “Lizzie” best? And do you think the young actress has breast implants?

~Kacey

I have been reading on many of the wrestling sites over the past few days that according to the latest issue of Power Slam magazine, former WWE Diva, Trish Stratus has removed her breast implants. If this is true, then Trish would be following the lead of other former WWE women like Chyna, Debra “Madusa” Miceli, Kimberly Page and Nidia Guenard, who have also had their implants removed.

These reports have not been confirmed yet, and there is not reports on WHY Trish had her implants removed (if the reports are true,) but I’m sure we will find out one way or the other when recent pictures of Trish start surfacing.

What I found most interesting about this news, was that there were a lot of reports, such as this one that many fans were SURPRISED that Trish had implants in the first place! Wow guys, if you think a woman naturally has breasts that large, perky and high on her chest then you are really as naive as women getting implants hope you are! It always surprises me when a man thinks a women’s implanted breasts are natural. If you were one that one surprised that Trish had implants, I’d love to hear from you!