Surgeries As Their Implants example essay topic

Women who opt for silicone breast implant surgery should think twice. "Last year, 236,888 women underwent breast implant surgery for augmentation and approximately 40,000 women underwent breast implant surgery for reconstruction after a mastectomy" (HealthMoon). Those numbers have been increasing each year; in fact, the number of women and teenage girls who underwent augmentation surgery more than doubled between 1997 and 2002. Many women who undergo these surgeries are replacing old implants that have broken or caused problems. Some women report as many as ten or more surgeries as their implants are replaced over the years.

"Breast implants were first sold in the 1960's, but the FDA did not have the authority to regulate them until 1976. Sales were relatively slow until the 1980's but by 1990, almost one million women had had breast implants, even though there were no published studies about their safety, and the FDA had never approved them" (HealthMoon). Finally, in 1991, the FDA required the manufacturers of silicone gel breast implants to submit safety studies. Unfortunately, the studies were inadequate, and the FDA could not conclude whether the implants were safe or even effective. Meanwhile, reports of illnesses among women with implants were being published in medical journals all over the world.

There are numerous risks and complications associated with silicone breast implants. All breast implants will eventually break, but it is not known how many years the breast implants that are currently on the market will last. Now imagine your doctor telling you that eventually your new implants will begin to leak and 37 toxic chemicals such as acetone, printing ink, Freon, benzene and talcum powder, which are all used in making silicone liquid in to silicone gel, will continue to seep into your body. The hazards of many of these toxic chemicals, such as benzene are well known. They are carcinogens and known toxins, which can cause immune disease, neurological manifestations, cancers and other disastrous problems in the body.

Chances are that if women who opt for this surgery knew this before the day of their surgery than fewer women would continue to go through with these procedures. But the fact is that women are not properly informed about the health risks associated with breast implant surgery and chances are that when they do find out about the risks involved they are already beginning to notice the symptoms in themselves. January 16, 1985, my mother opted for breast implant surgery and had the silicone gel implants put in. It was not until 17 years later that she suffered from a mild heart attack as a result from a silicone leakage.

She suffered for many weeks as the doctors were baffled by what could have caused the heart attack. After extensive testing, they realized that the silicone implant had caused the heart attack along with skin rashes, thinning hair, chronic fatigue, joint problems and migraine headaches not to mention the hard capsules of scar tissue formed around the implants causing misshapen and rock hard breasts. It wasn't until after she had the implants removed that she returned back to her normal, healthy lifestyle. Not all breast implant surgeries will end up in a bad situation like my mother's or like many other women out there. There are plenty of ladies who have had their silicone implants for many years and have never had a problem with them. Implants can be a very good thing for someone to get if they are insecure about their bodies and wish to feel better about themselves.

I recommend going with a safer implant that has not been proven to cause so many problems like a saline implant. These implants have already been around for a few years and most women who receive them have been very happy with the results and have suffered little to no health effects. If you are still considering silicone implant surgery, then please remember this... silicone breast implants were never proven to be safe! Why are we fighting to have to prove they are not?

There should have been enough dead dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rats, mice, monkeys and rabbits in the archives of hidden studies so that women should not be used as lab rats. However, without consent, we were the guinea pigs and now we are the clinical studies. Ladies, please, do not let this happen to you. Know the risks you are taking before you take them and put you and your life in to perspective. Is it really worth it?