When Cups Do Not Runneth Over: The Breast Implant Debate

1984 was a good year for my girls. My boobs were still small enough that I could go braless, but big enough that no one would mistake me for a boy. It’s one of the few times I actually liked my breasts (aside from a brief stint as a cocktail waitress in 1977 and when I was breast-feeding, adventures best saved for future posts). The rest of my life has been filled with mammary dissatisfaction, and apparently I’m not alone. When we asked Health.com visitors what they would most like to change about their breasts, they responded:

Breast size: 47%
Breast shape: 31%
The fact they sit somewhere near my belly button: 22%

Unlike me, lots of women are doing more than just whining about the state of their bosom: In 2007 breast augmentation moved to the top spot on the list of the most popular cosmetic surgeries for women, up 6% from the year before. Nearly 400,000 women in the U.S. had a boob job last year at an average cost of $4,000 a pop—and the numbers are expected to keep pushing up.

Although I wish we women (note to self) could be happier with ourselves and our ta-tas regardless of how they look and where they sit, the good news for those who choose it, is that surgery to get the breasts you want has come a long way, baby.

For one thing, it turns out that silicone breast implants, which came back on the market in 2006 after being banned in 1992 due to safety concerns, are getting a cleaner bill of health. According to an October 2007 research review from Vanderbilt University, the implants don’t cause cancer, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, or connective tissue disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers also concluded that implants do not cause birth defects in children born to women who have them. Saline implants are also considered safe but are said not to offer silicone’s more “natural” feel or look. More perky boob news: Although implants may make mammograms harder to read, the new research says there’s no evidence they lead to fewer cancer diagnoses or lower survival rates.

The downside to implants? Both kinds may leak and need to be replaced after several years, and, even if an implant has a warranty, women typically have to pick up the surgical replacement costs. And be warned, the debate on the safety of implants isn’t really over. Health officials in Canada, which also reversed a ban on silicone breast implants in 2006 with the caveat that “no medical device is 100% safe,” recently raised new questions about the toxicity of chemicals, specifically something called D4, in the implants.

There’s also a disturbing 2006 study that discovered the suicide rate among women with breast implants was 73% higher than that of the general population. Though the Canadian researchers did not offer an explanation for the increase, they did recommend that plastic surgeons assess the mental health of patients considering implant surgery in case there are underlying issues like depression that should be treated. Their study did not show that implants cause suicide (they didn’t study cause and effect), but past research has shown that there may be a correlation between seeking breast implants and suffering from low self-esteem and depression.

Would I have higher self esteem if I had bigger, better boobs? Probably. But I’d also be more confident if I looked like Cameron Diaz, had longer legs, had a trust fund, and drove a Ferrari instead of a minivan. None of those things is likely to happen any time soon—including the better boobage. In spite of being less than thrilled about my breasts, I’m not willing to do more than complain about them right now. Are you?

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