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Silicon Breast Implant Scare in Europe and So. America (Part 3)

By On · Add Comment · In Argentina, Brazil, breast augmentation, breast implants, Columbia, industrial silicone, medical quality silicone, ruptures, silicone implants, South America, Venezuela
See Part One here; Part Two here.

South American authorities are considering their next move on the heels of the French government’s recommendation that 30,000 French women have their silicone breast implants, manufactured by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), removed. The now-bankrupt French implant manufacturer is facing criminal charges as its chief executive is on the lamb, wanted by Interpol and Costa Rican authorities for crimes involving “life and health.”

Tens of thousands of women in over 65 countries around the world have the same implants, made from industrial rather than medical quality silicone. The implants are also said to be at an unusually high risk for rupture. Most of the women having received the PIP implants live in South America and western Europe.

The implants are particularly widespread in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina across different economic levels, with many young girls eager to augment their bust size before they become adults.

In Brazil, a National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) spokesperson said that it “has not yet made a recommendation,” echoing the sentiments of health professionals and officials in other Latin American countries. He states that the French government also recognized an as of yet unproven cancer risk to ruptured PIP implants.

Ironically, PIP implants were banned in Brazil in April 2010 when problems were first reported, but 25,000 implants had already been performed in the country, according to ANVISA. Around 100,000 women get silicone breast implants in Brazil each year (including Americans). Silicon implants were banned in the U.S. for fourteen years until 2006 when the restrictions were lifted.

“The medical facts that we know suggest that these implants can rupture earlier and with a greater risk of inflammatory reaction,” said Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery president Jose Horacio Aboudib.

Aboudib said his group in Brazil recommended that women who received the implants get tested early to make sure the implants were viable.

Venezuela’s union of plastic surgeons agreed, declining to recommend that women with the PIP implants get them removed, recommending preventative checkups instead. About 40,000 breast augmentations are performed in Venezuela each year, and plastic surgery is widespread in a country that has produced regular top contenders for Miss Universe over the years.

Surgeon Juan Jorge Blanco noted that breast augmentations used to be prohibitively expensive but that costs have since dropped to $3,000-7,000. “Women from all social backgrounds now get operations,” he said.

Argentina’s ANMAT drugs authority urged 15,000 women who received implants to “consult” their doctors.

In Colombia, implants are sometimes offered as birthday gifts, especially for “quinceaneras”–girls’ 15-year-old birthdays–that mark a girl’s passage into young womanhood.

“Drug traffickers also offer the surgery as a gift to their girlfriends,” said surgeon Celio Bohorquez, spokesman of the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery.

This cosmetic surgery scandal is multiplied exponentially by the hordes of women who have run to surgical enhancement over the last couple decades. It really put the practice into its massive perspective, as we see the scare affecting up to 300,000 women in over sixty countries.

My advice to the women of Latin America, and to tourists taking advantage of the rock-bottom prices of plastic surgery in foreign countries, be extra careful. Usually regulations are much more lax outside of the U.S. and Europe, and as I have said in this blog–any unproven and risky drug or procedure will find its way to South and Central America sooner or later by rogue practitioners or corporations ready to make a buck.

The surprise to me is in the brazenness PIP showed in its safety protocols and practices. I recommend that all women suspecting that they may have silicone breast implants manufactured by PIP to call their surgeon to discuss removal options and risks. Once again, my sympathies to any and all involved.

Surgery Killed the Video Star

By On · Add Comment · In Big Brother, breast augmentation, breast enlargement, Carolin Berger, porn star, Sexy Cora, silicone implants, surgery

Stop the presses: German porn star “Sexy Cora” died last week after undergoing her sixth breast augmentation.  The porn actress, real name Carolin Berger, went into a coma on January 11, 2011 following the breast enlargement surgery.  Apparently she suffered two heart attacks during the procedure; she was 23 years old.

The BBC reports that Berger was increasing her silicone implants from 18 oz. to 28 oz.  The two surgeons who performed the operation are being charged with negligent manslaughter related to her death, according to prosecutors.  The Hamburg clinic where she underwent the procedure has released a statement saying the doctors deeply regret Berger’s passing and are saddened by her death.

“Sexy Cora” was also known for being a contestant on the German version of “Big Brother” in 2009.

I’m not reporting this story simply because I’m obsessed with breasts; instead I see it’s relevance in the face of an inordinate increase in the number of breast augmentation surgeries performed every year (for kids, too).  Although we tend to think of these operations as “routine”–or in other words, harmless–I think it’s important to make note that any invasive procedure comes with risks.  Yes, 23-year-olds can have complications related to surgery.  That’s why the doctor’s office has you fill out the forms that say, “I understand I might die.”  OK, just as long as you understand.

Yes, yes, yes…relative to the number of breast augmentation surgeries performed every year, the risks are very low.  I know, I get it.  And of course, that was her SIXTH such surgery!  Which is another point I think is relevant: Just like tattoos, breast enlargements can be addictive.  Nevertheless, these are points to consider if you are thinking about getting a boob job.

Listen, I’m no morality pusher…do whatever the hell you please.  But consider this: Trying to “improve” yourself surgically is a perception issue.  Feeling less attractive, low self-esteem, or the unable to wear the clothes you’d like, or whatever other reason women have for changing their chest sizes, won’t go away just because you increase your breast size.  You might escape your self-criticism briefly, but eventually, if the mental component isn’t addressed, you’ll be back to square one.

Nothing else explains six breast augementations by the same person.  And frankly, doctors performing more than three breast augmentation surgeries (I want a boob job; I want to go back to natural; No, I really liked my boob job–I want another) probably should be responsible if something goes wrong; otherwise, who is going to be the level-headed one?

Don’t expect the porn star to play that role, doc.  RIP “Sexy Cora”.

Bigger is Better, Right?

By On · Add Comment · In big breasts, body image, breast augmentation, breast enlargement, breast implants, plastic surgeons, self-esteem, suicide, suicide risk

We now have concrete proof that the grass is not always greener in other pastures. In a recent study published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery, researchers found that women who have breast implants are three times more likely to commit suicide than other women. These findings should act as an alert to plastic surgeons to screen for heightened suicide risk among their clients.

This comes as no surprise to me. At the risk of offending every active member of the Silicon Sisters Society, I would assume that a significant percentage of women who seek out breast augmentation have serious self esteem issues.* Just so everybody knows that I am not pointing the finger here, we all do to one degree or another. I mean, everybody I have ever met has at least one physical characteristic they would like to change if they could – it’s part of the human mind game. However, altering your body to fit within the illusion that you’ll be more attractive and more desirable as a result of breast enlargement is just plain crazy. Big breasts don’t make a woman’s life any better than a bigger wallet does a man’s, although many are convinced that both of these things are necessary to attract the opposite sex. Uh, no, sorry.
According to the study, “The increased risk of suicide was not apparent until 10 years after implantation.” Also no surprises here. It likely takes this amount of time to realize that bigger breasts do not make life easier, happier, or more fulfilling. Big boobied birdies have just as many ups and downs as their smaller sisters do. And a lift here, a tuck there, doesn’t remove the challenges we all must face in our lives.
But before you think my assessment is presumptive, please make note that the study also showed that women who opt for breast enlargement are three times as likely to die from drug and alcohol related deaths too, further pointing to self-esteem or body image problems. If you are contemplating having plastic surgery to improve your life, please give it a second thought. You’re not going to suddenly find happiness in a bigger bra size.
*Please note: This study does not lead to the conclusion that all women who have breast augmentation have poor self esteem. Actually, it is more likely that women who have pathologically poor self esteem will look to external factors, like drugs, alcohol, and plastic surgery to boost their feelings of self worth.
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