BREAST IMPLANTS LINKED TO HIGH SUICIDE RISK

Sid Kirchheimer of WebMD wrote this article about the results of two research studies, reported in the last seven months, indicating that women who have had silicone breast implants are three times more likely to commit suicide than women without implants.

Both of these studies, done in Europe and together involving nearly 6,000 women who had the popular cosmetic surgery, follow a 2001 report on American women suggesting that those who get breast implants for augmentation face a nine-fold increased risk of suicide compared to women who don't get the procedure, and that they commit suicide four times more often than those who have other types of plastic surgery.

"All three studies suggest the need for surgeons who are doing these procedures to conduct thorough pre-operative psychological screening of patients," says David B. Sarwer, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry and surgery at the Center for Human Appearances at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "But very few are doing that."

"To be honest, I don't think we know the exact reason why these women have a higher rate of suicide, but it's very possible that a small minority who come in for breast augmentation are trying to solve significant psychological problems," Sarwer tells WebMD.

One could easily conclude that some women who seek breast augmentation are motivated by underlying psychological problems. However, the conclusion may be premature since the article also indicates there is some controversy concerning the results of the research. A certain percentage of women suffer from body dysmorphic disorder, a psychiatric condition characterized by a profound preoccupation with the slightest or even imagined defects in appearance. These women may be more prone to suicide whether or not they undergo breast augmentation.

Of note is that, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of breast implantation surgeries performed has dramatically increased from 32,000 in 1993 to 237,000 in 2002. Based upon a five-day work week, that means more than 900 women each day had their breasts enlarged in 2002. Whew!

My personal comment on the subject is that fake breasts always seem to look fake. Also, if a women wants to impress me, keep them natural. Breast augmentation is totally unnecessary. I like them small, medium, large or anywhere in between.