Silicone Breast Implants in Women

¶ … Silicone breast implants in women [...] why breast implants are important for the self-esteem of many women, and how it has been proved they are safe and pose no threat to women's health. Silicone breast implants have come under controversy because many people believe they can cause physical damage or even death to many implant patients, and the silicone implants were removed from the market for many years. However, recent studies show implants are safe, and women should be able to have this type of cosmetic surgery if they desire, because this is a very personal matter, and women should be aware of the risks, but able to make up their own minds.

Breast Implants

It is clear silicone breast implants are a personal decision between a woman and her doctor. The doctor should understand the risks of implants (if there are any), and should be able to communicate these risks effectively to the woman who wants surgery. There is much controversy surrounding breast implants today, because up until very recently, they were thought to be dangerous, and they were removed from the market for several years, and the main manufacturer, Dow Corning, faced many lawsuits about the safety of their implants. Recently, new studies have show the implants are safe, and another company, Inamed, has been given permission by the Federal Government to produce their implants (Staff). Women today have many more choices in their quest for the perfect bust line, and silicone implants are another choice available as breast enhancement surgery grows in popularity. Unfortunately, many women who choose implants still face stigma in our society, because the public often believes breast enhancement is a vain and unnecessary improvement of a woman's body, and the body should be left the way it is. However, many foes do not understand that many implants help victims of cancer, in fact, "25% of implants went to women who had lost breasts to cancer, and had nothing to do with vanity" (Brecher). In addition, many women have low self-esteem because of the small size of their breasts, and breast implants make them feel more attractive, more feminine, and raise their self-esteem.

Silicone breast implants first came under fire beginning in 1992, when David Kessler, the head of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) at the time, banned the use of silicone breast implants due to safety and health issues. The ban created a flurry of lawsuits against silicone-gel implant manufacturers, and caused many women to have their existing implants removed. One expert notes,

At the time Kessler announced the ban on silicone-gel filled breast implants, surveys of women who had the implants showed that 90% were satisfied with the results. Further, by Kessler's own admission, there was virtually nothing known about the relationship between breast implants and disease. Nevertheless, many women rushed to have them taken out, convinced that they were responsible for a number of disorders known as connective tissue disease (Slesnick 271).

The FDA ban and following lawsuits received massive media attention, and women everywhere began to fear breast implants of any type, but silicone was especially suspect. Several studies showed that silicone implants could at times rupture, leak, or migrate from their original locations, but medical studies had never decided what the exact health risks of these problems were (Brecher). Suddenly, all breast implants were suspect, and the implant industry settled millions of dollars in lawsuits during the time. Many experts believe that much of the hysteria over implants was fueled by the media and by over-zealous attorneys, who urged anyone with an implant to jump on the bandwagon and sue, whether or not their implants had caused any health issues. One reporter stated, "The media reported every heretofore unrevealed Dow Corning dog study; every heart wrenching 'victim' sob story; every grandstanding news conference by FDA officials, Congressmen, consumer activists, malpractice attorneys, and memo-waving, disgruntled former Dow Corning employees"

Brecher). Unfortunately, even after the lawsuits were settled and the dust cleared, there was no real, hard evidence that silicone-gel breast implants caused long-term health and safety concerns. Today, most medical experts agree that any complications do not show up until after the implants have been in place at least seven years or more, and that more long-term studies need to be undertaken in women who have had the implants for a decade or longer. One expert wrote,

Still, silicone breast implants are not entirely safe, the committee warned. The rate of complication varies with the type and age of the implant, but the chance that a woman will experience a problem increases with time. The most serious problems occur when tissue around the implant contracts, the implant ruptures or the area becomes infected (Vanderkam 4).

Clearly, the safety of breast implants needs to continue to be studied. "The [FDA approval] panel stressed women will need yearly mammograms to check for signs of leakage since silicone can leak without immediate knowledge to the patient because the silicone leaks out slowly [...]. If there is leakage or a break in the implant, the implant(s) should be replaced" (Staff). However, breast implants have been totally safe for many women for years, and the recent ruling by the FDA to allow them again only adds to the strong belief many in the medical field hold that breast implants are a safe alternative for millions of women who hope to enhance their figures, or reconstruct their figures after a mastectomy.

It is quite clear that the choice to undergo breast implant surgery is a very personal decision and not the right decision for every woman. Society places a great importance on outward appearances - especially for women - and part of this importance deals directly with the figure and the bust line. Women with small breasts are someone seen as less significant than those with large breasts, in everything from Playboy magazine to cheerleaders at professional sporting events. This may not be the right attitude, and it can cause many psychological issues in women, from eating disorders to low self-esteem, it is an acknowledged fact that the "ideal" American woman has a small waist and big breasts, and millions of women would like to mold their bodies to look like that ideal. Women who undergo implant surgery often say they feel better about themselves, as one satisfied patient told an interviewer.

Leanne explained that her breasts were out of proportion with the rest of her body: "I grew up as a fairly flat chested girl and everything else, proportionately, everything else was in very nice shape. I mean, I'm blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and had a nice figure... [I felt] inadequate. I felt like I was missing something." As a result of her implant surgery, she reported feeling as if her body was correctly proportioned for the first time. "I feel like for my body weight, and my posture, and my build, and my muscle makeup, that I just feel normal" (Vanderford and Smith 60).