Are you one of the many thousands of women in the United States with breast implants? Or perhaps you're considering getting them sometimes in the near future?
You might be interested to know that of the nearly 300,000 women who have this procedure each year, not all are doing it for the first time. Those repeat customers aren't changing their breast size yet again but most likely the breast implants they had surgically implanted a few years ago leaked or developed a malformation, and now they are back for replacements.
Did these women do something that caused their implants to misbehave? Nope, not at all. The bottom line is that breast implants - both the newer silicone and the saline ones - are not designed to last a lifetime.
The average implant may last 7-10 years and will then need to be replaced. Some may last longer but that may be luck and not because some brands are sturdier than others.
The real reason you may have to replace your implants at some point in the future is that the body considers the implant a foreign object and over time, a woman's natural immune system and body defenses eat away at the outer shell of the implant, never really accepting it as part of the natural anatomy.
Some women's bodies fight this foreign object so determinedly that they will actually create a tight capsule around the implant in an effort to seal it off from the rest of the body. This process, capsulitis, unfortunately makes the implant feel more like a rock than a breast.
This doesn't mean implants are bad. Most women do fine with them and, after extensive research, the FDA has declared that they will not harm your autoimmune system even if they leak. And for some women, the psychological boost they achieve by enhancing their cleavage may well be worth the risk. It's a personal decision.
If you do choose to have implants, though, you'll need to consider what they will cost you over a lifetime, both for the initial surgery and for the expenses necessary to maintain them. Breast augmentation is cosmetic surgery and so is not covered by insurance.
A surgeon's fee for augmentation can range between $7,000 and $15,000. If a leaking implant should need to be removed, add a few more thousand to the surgical fee. Then add the cost of an overnight hospital stay and the price tag grows a bit more. And these are expenses that might crop up once a decade.
Only you can decide if the cost is worth it. Many women will say, "Yes, I'm worth it, and I want to do this for myself and my self image." Others may simply say that it's not affordable because they'd need to choose between replacing their car and getting new implants. The car will win.
So if you are considering breast augmentation, get all the facts before you embark. Get information in writing about the costs. Find out, too, how happy other patients have been who have opted to do this - and ask to speak to some of them.
Be an informed consumer before you buy. And remember to get your annual mammogram with or without implants. For those who have implants, there is a special technique called a "push back" that is done by the mammography technician to ensure the implants don't obstruct a clear view of your natural breast tissue.
If the prospect of having to replace your implants turns you off, you might consider other options for creating cleavage and a bigger cup size. Your mother may have confessed to how she used to stuff Kleenex inside her bra cups, or tucked shoulder pads into them to enhance her frame. Today, some department stores sell "enhancers" that are very popular, particularly with teens. These will fit snuggly inside the bra and bring you up a full cup size.
Victoria's Secret has taught us how to wear a bra that is actually two sizes too small to create a deeper cleavage. And, of course, there is always the option of basing your self image on what's on the inside, not the outside. Remember, it's always your choice, your wallet, your breasts, and your attitudes.
