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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Comments (8)
I think your breasts are wonderful, unique, feminine, beautiful, and enjoyable.
I’m reading your article as I wait for my 18 year old daughter have a breast reduction…going from a 36G(DDDD) to a 36D. We are expecting her life to change drastically for the better. The joy of going to any store to bit a dress or top that fits, pretty bras, the ability to run and play sport without pain is something she hasn’t known since age 13. We are grateful to have a choice for a different future than the one mother nature chose.
I always had small breasts and was jealous of girls with bigger boobs. However, after I breast fed my children, I realized I really did not want them. Bigger boobs can also make you look fatter. A girl that worked for me was small on top and had big hips. After her breast implant she looked big all over. So unless you have a flat stomach and small hips and thighs, it can make you look fat.
I am a 36Dcup,yes they can be uncomfortable.I am slim and it looks decent with approriate clothes.I love to run but it can be a hinderance so I have settled with walking fast.I am at an age where I have learned to feel comfortable with my breast size.
I feel feminine,unique and am comfortable finally.
Here’s another option to surgery: “explants.” That is, silicone pads you can stuff in a bra. Like wearing contacts instead of getting Lasik:
http://www.lindasonline.com/her-look-takeouts-breast-enhancers-clear.html
I had my implants done 11 years ago and never completely regretted it. It was quite painful and surprised me with how much your pecs come in to play when doing every day activities. My breasts appeared enormous when I lost 20 pounds on the divorce diet, but now that I’ve gained the weight back, they appear normal. Perhaps I look a bit “dumpy” at 50, 5/2 and 140; but I lift weights and I’m very strong. Without my implants, I would just appear dumpy and triangular. I love my girls; they are under my muscle and anything on top is all me. I paid for ‘em, they’re mine. If my daughter wanted to get implants at her age (almost 30) I would support her in her decision.
I don’t see anything wrong with getting implants, I’ve been thinking about it myself…I am 25 with 2 kids, my son is only 5 months old so im gonna wait until he’s walking around good, but I def want some new ones. I’ve always had full Acups but when i’m preg I get up to a C cup so after breast feeding there is just loose skin left and I HATE IT. I dont’ really care if they are big or small i just want them back where they are suppose to be!!! HAHA
I had breast implants installed after a double mastectomy in 1979 for bilateral fibrocystic disease and a terrible family history of cancer. The implants ruptured, the silicone leaked, I started to have all sorts of weird health issues that nobody in the medical field at that time understood. All of the hair on my arms and legs fell out. I lost about a third of the volumn of hair on my head, leaving trails of the stuff behind wherever I went. I gained thirty pounds of water weight over a period of days that only severe diuretics would relieve me of. I had swollen lymph glands under my arms and chin, was hit with horrible fatigue, brain fog and finally a stroke that nearly killed me. I have had silicone “cysts” removed from my back, where the stuff traveled, it has been found in my brain, my liver, in my lymph nodes that have been removed. I have had terrible chemical sensitivities now for thirty years. I have a worn out immune system. Before implants, I was pretty healthy, I just had a terrible case of fibrocystic disease and docs couldn’t tell what the lumps were anymore. They were painful and my family history was such that I was advised to have this surgery to prevent the possibility of breast cancer. After implants, I haven’t had a well day in the last thirty years. I was told my body is a toxic waste dump. The stuff in silicone implants is so bad that it is mind boggling anyone would be allowed to put these things in a dog, much less a human. I would beg anyone considering this surgery to look at silicone survivor sites on the net to see photos of what can happen to you. Trust the FDA?? No. It’s all about the money, honey, not about health. If I had to do it all over again, I would likely have the mastectomies and would most certainly skip the reconstruction. Instead of a possible cancer death from cell growth gone amuck, I have been relegated to a painful, chronically ill existence. Do your research carefully. Don’t get sucked into society’s concept that your beauty lay in your breast size. It doesn’t. It is all of you, not your breasts. Talk to men and you’ll fins out most of them could give a rat’s rear end about the size of your breasts. They prefer, vastly, an all natural woman, even if there are some sags form mother hood. The truth is out there and it’s not on some plastic surgeon’s website that touts turning you into Cinderella via a pair of magic pumpkins shoved under your real breast tissue or skin.