3 reasons to forego breast implants.
The decision to undergo a breast augmentation procedure is something that requires a strong resolve. If you’re not sure if you really want to undergo a procedure as permanent as this, you may first want to know what some of its biggest risks are. Here are 3 reasons to think about holding off on a breast augmentation procedure:
breast implants
1. Suicidal Tendencies
A recent study carried out in Sweden surveyed over 3,500 women that had undergone breast implant surgery for cosmetic reasons between 1965 and 1993. According to death certificate data taken after the first 19 years of the test period, the suicide rate was 3 times higher for women with breast implants compared to the rest of the population. However, women who received their implants when they were 45 years or older, the risk was 7 times that of the general population. Suicides weren’t the only type of death that saw a spike, though… deaths related to psychiatric orders like alcoholism and drug use spiked 3 times as high as the rest of the general population.) It’s a chicken or the egg type argument, though, since it’s yet to be known if the breast implants directly led to the decrease in psychological stability, or if those women were unstable to begin with.
2. Impaired Milk Production
If you plan on having kids, you may want to consider that depending on the type of incisions, breast implants can put you at risk of losing your ability to produce milk. This is especially true for periareolar incisions, which go through the areola, carrying the highest rate of damage to sensitive nerves and milk ducts in the surrounding area. Although the risk is still very low (less than 1%), damaged nerves can prevent the brain from producing prolactin and oxytocin, which are responsible for milk production and ejection, respectively, as well as sensitivity to the area.
3. Slippery Slope
It’s a known fact that many women who undergo breast augmentation procedures either already have a form of body dysmorphic disorder (a disorder in which a person becomes obsessively concerned over a perceived defect in their body) or develop one due to the results being different than they anticipated, or the presence of scars from the surgery. This can lead to a slippery slope, where the woman can develop dysmorphic views about other parts of her body, which is why people often become “addicted” to plastic surgery.
Eric Hirota is a personal trainer at LAVA Sport & Fitness. He also writes for various diet blogs in his free time.