The Dark Side of Breast Augmentation

This is really interesting--it makes me wonder if there are any other such autoimmune syndromes related to different implanted medical devices (like artificial joints), or if this is specific to implants because of material that's used. It also makes me wonder if the incidence has changed over time as different implant materials have been used (although that would be really tough to study, since I doubt the constellation of symptoms was being tracked before social media support groups started popping up and it was formally identified.).

I truly wish women would be happier with the bodies they have and learn to love themselves more. 

9 hours ago, zbb13 said:

I truly wish women would be happier with the bodies they have and learn to love themselves more. 

Just because a woman (or man) chooses to have cosmetic surgery doesn't mean that they don't love themselves.

I wear a size 34-B. Such a perfect size. Plus they worked great for feeding my babies!

I think it's a big mistake to unnecessarily put plastics and other foreign materials permanently into ones body. Tinkering with mother nature's complex and delicate systems is inviting trouble. 

I'm kind of conflicted. On the one hand, I don't think it's anyone's place to judge what a person does to make themselves feel beautiful. For instance, women wear make-up and dye their hair all of the time, and nobody thinks twice. I wonder if people would feel differently in cases of breast-augmentation post-mastectomy; you're still putting a foreign object purely for cosmetic reasons, but people might be more empathetic in that case than a run-of-the-mill 'boob job.'

On the other hand, I think it's kind of gross that plastic surgeons (and the 'beauty industrial complex' as a whole) literally turn a profit by encouraging women to buy into the idea that they aren't attractive enough when compared to completely unrealistic standards (photoshopped images portrayed by the media)......

I also agree with @Emergent that it seems problematic for people to undergo a procedure as invasive as surgery over something that's purely cosmetic. There are plenty of people who have died from plastic surgery, and their deaths were entirely preventable. Back when I worked in outpatient radiology, we had a plastic surgeon who was doing implants on an 18-year-old; he thought she blew a pneumo during the procedure, so he drove her to our outpatient, walk-in radiology clinic IN HIS CAR, and she ended up in the hospital.

Plus, that doesn't even start to cover the number of people who are severely disfigured or permanently disabled by getting discounted, under-the-table procedures from unlicensed or fraudulent providers.

Take this for what it's worth- I got implants about 4 years ago. Prior to the implants, I had been dealing with unusual symptoms. Long story short, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder about a year after having implants. I had the disorder beforehand but it took me almost 7 years to be properly diagnosed. The sad truth is many clinicians chalk up female health complaints to anxiety or depression instead of really investigating. 

 

Had I not been more astute, I might have blamed the implants. How many women have undiagnosed underlying health conditions before getting implants? We know ALCL is linked to implants but it's a very low risk and is only found with textured implants. 

I personally think it's one of the best choices I ever made. I went from constantly hating my body to finally being free to wear the clothes I wanted to wear and feeling like my body is proportional. I guess to each their own but I've not had a single issue.