What can big artificial breasts get women? According to a recent study, breast augmentation not only can make women more popular in bars but is associated with a three fold increase in suicide as well as drug and alcohol abuse. Join Dr. Tray Dunaway reporting for MD Podcasting News Network as he tackles this sensitive subject with his usual tackful and diplomatic reporting, keeping you abreast of current healthcare news topics.
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Congratulations, Dr. Dunaway. Your report on the study linking a higher rate of suicide and breast implants was tongue-in-cheek, but you still managed to do a better job than most of the mainstream media outlets did. You at least disclosed that the study was funded by Dow-Corning.
What’s so insidious about the study is that the conclusions totally diverted attention away from why those women killed themselves. And no, it not because they started out crazy in the first place. While that may be true, I think it much more likely that many of the suicides experienced terrible complications from their implants — chronic illness, disfigurement — that lead to things like divorce, tremendous guilt over breast-fed children contaminated by silicone, and bankruptcy from trying to pay for treatment. When you look at the rate of complications for implants — almost half of women begin to experience complications within 5 years of getting them, and the complications only get worse the longer they keep the devices in their bodies — you’ll see that for some of these women to ultimately take their own life should not be a surprise at all.
Thank you Sybil/Mary… I think the underlying problem is cosmetic surgery, for men or women, to improve low self esteem is doomed to fail. Reconstructive surgery is one thing but temporal enhancement of appearance is typically temporary and raises unrealistic expectations. When in training, I seriously considered reconstructive surgery… really cool stuff and very satisfying for patient and physician… but had to choose between my lifelong dream of community medicine, or big medical center politics. Practicing in a community as a 100% reconstructive surgeon wasn’t practical… because I’d have to do cosmetic stuff to make a living. I decided to become a general surgeon. One of my worst “sinking feelings” was one day in the O.R. years ago when the silicone leaks started. I was in the breast of a woman who had implants years ago for a problem when I discovered the leaking implant. Silicone goo stretched from my instruments like glue. I was glad that I had decided to eschew cosmetic plastic surgery for a career. People need to be content with what in reality is “normal.” Unfortunately, most media appearances don’t portray “normal” breasts, waistlines, or penises! Best wishes for your http://beautyandthebreast.org/ website. Tray
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