8 novembre, 2006 11:24

Artificial Inflation Women are heading to the operating table for breast augmentations

Lindsay Aimar

Posted: 11/8/06

The pressure to look a certain way constantly affects young men and women. Cheryl Cooky, assistant professor with the department of kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton, said in an e-mail interview that many women undergo breast augmentation in order to "deal with the increasingly unattainable body image perpetuated by the media."

Katrina DeGuzman, a 20-year-old CSUF senior communications and entertainment studies major, said she chose to receive breast implants in order to increase her already secure confidence and feel better about herself.

"The surgery was not for modeling purposes or a job, a boyfriend or anything like that, it was just for me and the way I felt about myself and I feel great," DeGuzman said. "I feel better about myself, however, who I am did not change. I still have the same heart as the person I was before the surgery."

DeGuzman is one of the quarter of a million women in the U.S. who receive breast augmentation each year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

"Many women, for whatever reason, whether it is child birth, or naturally, are not happy with their breast size," said Brent Moelleken, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.

According to center4research.org, many girls are getting breast implants as a high school graduation gift, in the hopes that the surgery will improve their self-esteem.

"In general, women should not get implants [if they are] younger than 21 years of age or so as there is a possibility for breast size to continue to change prior to that age," said Kathy Koser, chair of the Kinesiology Department, in an e-mail interview.

"When young girls and women undergo breast augmentation, they frequently lose sensation in their breasts," Cooky said. "Their breasts then become the object of someone else's pleasure, rather then a source of her own pleasure."

Cooky said images in the media have caused increased pressure on females to be thin and have large breasts. In May of 2006, the New York Daily News reported that Americans spent a total of $9.4 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2005 the majority of the patients were middle-class workers earning between $3,000 and 6,000 a year.

Financial lenders are eagerly offering loans to patients who otherwise may not be able to afford the procedure. According to the Daily News article, Malcolm Roth, a spokesman for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said, "Financing allows people who don't have access to cash to go ahead with the procedure."

The center4research.org reported women who are just entering college and undergoing breast augmentation are taking out loans and making monthly payments in order to pay for the costs of the surgery.

"I got the implants in college because the timing was perfect. I had the time and I had saved some money to do it," DeGuzman said. "I financed my surgery through carecredit.com. I only financed $3500 and paid the rest cash. The total cost of the surgery was $5800. I believe the surgery was worth it. It was something I researched and thought about for years."

"Patients who receive breast augmentation report having better self-esteem, higher confidence and appearing more attractive in clothes," said Liberte Chan, a health reporter for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, Calif.

Laurie Young, a 21-year-old junior at Orange Coast College, said she had breast augmentation surgery in order to succeed in her career choice. Young said she dreamed of becoming a model. She worked hard on her body in order to compete against thousands of women for a chance to appear in multiple magazines.

"The greatest advantage is probably modeling. I don't think I could be a lingerie/swimsuit model without the implants," said Young, who underwent the surgery in 2004.

Moelleken said the majority of women who have received breast implants feel as though the benefits of surgery greatly outweigh the amount of pain they experienced.

"I would do it all over again 10 times. It was nothing. I feel those shows on MTV are way overdramatic because they are trying to scare young girls into not doing it. I had hardly any pain," Young said.

Although the risks associated with breast implants have been decreasing, there are still several possible side effects that can occur with all operations.

"Breast implants require a lot of maintenance and may require additional surgeries down the road - that is something a lot of doctors don't tell their patients," Moelleken said. "Even though breast implant surgery is a relatively common, simple procedure there are always health risks of any surgical procedures."

According to Beautysurg.com, breast augmentation does not have to be permanent. If a woman decides she no longer wants the implants or has encountered complications, the implants can be removed with an incision made either under the fold of the breast or around the areola.

Chan said she suggests that women thinking about having breast augmentation should discuss all possible side effects with their doctors prior to surgery, because it is important for women to know exactly what to expect. Women who want to have surgery often have the need to be perfect, Moelleken said, many doctors will advise the patient otherwise.

"Sometimes I just tell them that their size is enough, or if they have unrealistic expectations," Moelleken said. "They want to be made perfect and that is just not a realistic expectation."