Breast implants linked with suicide in study

[jefferson_dem]

Breast implants linked with suicide in study
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
Wed Aug 8, 2007 7:10PM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women who get cosmetic breast implants are nearly three times as likely to commit suicide as other women, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

The study, published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery, reinforces several others that have shown women who have breast enlargements have higher suicide risks.

Loren Lipworth of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee and colleagues followed up on 3,527 Swedish women who had cosmetic breast implant surgery between 1965 and 1993. They looked at death certificates to analyze causes of death among women with breast implants.

Only 24 of the women had committed suicide after an average of 19 years, but this worked out to triple the risk compared to the average population, they reported. Doctors who perform cosmetic breast surgery may want to monitor patients closely or screen them for suicide risk, Lipworth said.

"The increased risk of suicide was not apparent until 10 years after implantation," the researchers wrote.

<SNIP>

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN0836919020070808?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&sp=true

[amitten]

1. It's the lack of self-esteem that is the key factor here.

Many women get surgery to "feel better" about themselves. While many are probably secure, most are probably at least a little insecure. And some have very little self worth.

A person with low self-worth is of course more likely to commit suicide.

The implants aren't causing the suicide...the low self-esteem that sought out the implants is.

[Maru Kitteh]

2. bingo! n/t

[jefferson_dem]

3. Obviously, we have correlation but not causation.

The implants and, sadly, the suicides are both symptoms...

[idgiehkt]

14. yeah

I hate these big bold headlines and then you find out that the study was done on 12 people in Swaziland 45 years ago.

I don't even know if this can be generalized to the U.S. population because it happened before silicon implants were outlawed...I believe leaking silicon causes autoimmune disorders, a major symptoms of which is depression. It is controversial but there is anecdotal evidence out there...but other than that, I just think these headlines are scare tactics so many times.

[supernova]

27. Women who needed reconstruction after breast removal

have always been able to get silicone. Having said that, they've changed the consistency of the silicone in the implants now. My sister got a new set in March. Her old liquid silicone implants were leaking and leaving little nodules you could feel under the skin. Ugh. Those implants were only designed to last about 10 years the MD told her. She'd had hers 11 years.

The new implants that she got were more semi-solid, more like flesh, actually. Totally natural feeling. And these won't leak. If for some reason they do get punctured, you'd just have a tear there, not a leak of material, normal skin healing not withstanding.

[idgiehkt]

58. I wonder if the study differentiates between

those who had reconstruction and those who had augmentation.

Saline breast implants have a silicon envelope, there is no escaping the silicon. So many women seem to have immune reactions from them that it is like Russian roulette. We need a better mousetrap.

[supernova]

59. I was just thinking I'd like

to see silicone heart valves.

Right now, our choices are mechanical valves, requiring coumadin the rest of your life. And pig valves which are natural but don't last as long as the mechanical ones. Mechanical valves last about 10-12 years, pig valves about 8-10 years on average.

I wonder if the silicone would last longer and feel more like pig valves.

[idgiehkt]

63. I prefer my own heart valves thank you

thanks for making me think about that. I've already had heart surgery...don't want to find out which feels more like me, the silicon, or the pig. :shrug: :hi:


Guess I'll pass on that last slice of pizza.

[supernova]

66. Well, I don't want to either

but some day I might have to choose. :hi:

[idgiehkt]

67. let's hope not

but it is food for thought...

[Exiled in America]

29. Implants are not necessarily a symptom of anything.

[Sanctified]

5. Thats exactly what I thought. n/t

[tabasco]

6. Makes sense to me.

I could never understand why women would subject themselves to this stupid, unnecessary surgery.

[amitten]

7. It seems like a pretty major surgery to me. Also, I don't like the

idea of having anything foreign implanted in my body, unless it's to save my life.

[dorkulon]

8. Yes, both things involve feelings of inadequacy.

And when cosmetic changes fail to assuage them, suicide looms larger as an option.

[last_texas_dem]

10. Good point

That was the first thought that came to mind when I read the beginning of the article and wondered about why this might be.

[amitten]

11. I think it takes a lot of unhappiness to go under the knife,

especially when it's in such a sensitive area. A boob job is not the same as a nose job. The thought of someone cutting up my breasts and forcefully inserting objects into them makes me almost get sick.

Only an extreme set of emotions would drive your average person to such an extreme surgery. Although I'm sure there are plenty of emotionally stable and confident women who get it done, too. But I have a feeling they are the minority.

[Horse with no Name]

18. I had a nose job--three of them actually

for structural reasons--not cosmetic--and I am here to tell you that they are pretty painful.

[amitten]

46. I'll bet they are! I don't think I would want my boobs to ever feel

how your nose must have felt! :scared:

[Eurobabe]

51. I considered it, for sinus and cosmetic reasons (NOSE job)

(hell, I could donate some excess BOOBAGE) but decided that my big schnozz gives me character.

[Horse with no Name]

54. From experience I tell you

DON'T DO IT! The second two surgeries were to basically correct the first, and I still have MAJOR sinus problems (can you imagine being repeatedly hospitalized for SINUSITIS?)
The majority of the ones that I have spoken to that have had the surgery have had issues after as well.

[Javaman]

64. I don't know, mine went fine...

I had my nose broken when I was 17. Got it plastered all over my face. Out of reaction, I set it myself. Yeah it hurt.

fast forward to 2 years ago (over 20 year time span)

I finally had to go and get it fixed because of chronic nose bleeds cause by one side not working and causing a bernoulli effect in the other thus drying things out and "poof!" a nose bleed.

The doctor, who had also a masters in engineering, did a fantastic job. no more nose bleeds and I can breath again.

I really think it had to do with the doctor that does the work.

[Eurobabe]

75. Oh HELL no, I'm too old now

and don't like risking anesthesia (I have a panic condition that can give me heart arrythmias, and anesthetics of any kind usually set it off, even at the dentist!) Like I said, I'll stick with my Barbara Streisand nose. It give my face character. :hi:

[Exiled in America]

28. It's not a key factor in anything. 24 woman out of over 3,000 doesn't tell you a lot.

What percentage is that, exactly, of woman who receive breast implants?

I'm not a math guy, but I'm pretty sure its a decimal.

[blondeatlast]

32. Percentage-wise, it's a whopping 0.00680464984. I can make the same case for

people who get tattoos, wear cologne, eat breakfast, tuck their kids in at night, avoid television, etc.

Shessh. And Duers are falling over themselves over this. :eyes:

[iverglas]

39. you'd have a point ...

... if the 24 women in the study sample who committed suicide were the only women with breast implants who ever committed suicide.

What percentage is that, exactly, of woman who receive breast implants?

Surely you're aware that studying samples is a pretty common and accepted way of studying populations.

It seems that close to 0.7% of the women in the sample committed suicide. According to the authors:

this worked out to triple the risk compared to the average population

So the chance of a woman in the "average population" (which presumably includes women with implants, so the chance could be very slightly overstated) would be something like 0.23%.

The way rates are usually stated, 680/100,000 vs. 227/100,000.

The fact that a risk is tripled doesn't necessarily mean that it is something really worth bothering about. If I have a 1/1,000,000,000 risk of dying from falling off my office chair, will I really care if my risk increases to 10/1,000,000 if I buy a cheap chair, and be willing to spend an extra $100 on a chair that cuts my risk from 10 to 1 in a million? Not likely. But it's still a piece of information I'm entitled to have if it's a known fact.

Of course, it could be that people who buy the less expensive chair buy it because they are clumsy, and thus have lower self-esteem, and are thus less likely to buy higher status office furniture ...

The point being that knowledge of the risks isn't the only information needed; knowledge of the factors that are involved in raising or lowering the risk is needed. But that investigation starts with research into the risk.

[Exiled in America]

45. You make the only point I was making with your own response.

The fact that a risk is tripled doesn't necessarily mean that it is something really worth bothering about. If I have a 1/1,000,000,000 risk of dying from falling off my office chair, will I really care if my risk increases to 10/1,000,000 if I buy a cheap chair, and be willing to spend an extra $100 on a chair that cuts my risk from 10 to 1 in a million? Not likely. But it's still a piece of information I'm entitled to have if it's a known fact.

I'm not refuting a persons right to know largely insignificant information. I'm just pointing out that it is pretty insignificant.

[amitten]

68. I'm certain that you, as a male, know exactly the sort of mental

process that drives a woman to let a surgeon cut on her boobies! :eyes:

But yes, the percentage is still very small.

[havocmom]

57. yep

:thumbsup:

[gumby]

4. If this study is correct,

it is very sad............

[EFerrari]

9. What utter nonsense. I guess even now

women can't be trusted to make decisions about their own bodies.

:eyes:

[Horse with no Name]

12. I considered getting breast implants once

Because I LIKE the way they look...I just felt I had better things to do with the $5k it cost.
Women don't always just do things for men...sometimes they do it for themselves.

[amitten]

13. True.

But, there are some people that do things for the wrong reasons. And then maybe they aren't happy when their lives don't change for the better just because of a surgery.

[Anais_98]

16. very funny

I always find it amusing when a woman says she got breast implants, or some other surgery, for herself. Like she just woke up one day and said 'wow, I want to have a small stomach, big boobs, small thighs and no wrinkles,' and society had no influence on that decision whatsoever.
Face it, the reason why women are undergoing so much cosmetic surgery to get bigger boobs, a smaller body, blemish-free skin etc is because we are constantly bombarded with images of what a 'perfect' or a 'beautiful' woman looks like. We are made to feel unacceptable, ugly, inadquate or unwomanly if we do not look like that. The modern-day corset

Sorry, but no woman truly does it for herself

[Horse with no Name]

17. Sorry, but you are wrong.

What is wrong with a woman saying she likes big breasts?
The same reason I cut my hair a certain way--because I like it.
The same reason I choose my clothing--because I like it.
The same reason I choose perfume--because I like it...or my car...or my house...or my furniture...
Whatever I choose I do so because of me...and only because of me.
"I" don't do anything for a man. I never have and I never will.
It is quite sexist to insinuate that a woman isn't smart enough to make her own decisions about how she wants to look under her shirt.

[Anais_98]

22. not what I meant

Firstly, I never said that women were not smart enough to make that decision. It's their bodies, they can do what they like.

What I said is that society helps determine what we think and do. This helps to shape how we think about work, family and beauty. For example two thousand years ago, society considered the most attractive women to be overweight or obese. Unsurprisingly that is that shape that many, perhaps most, women strove to achieve (regardless of whether they were trying to attract a man or not). Think foot-binding, corsets, even fashion etc. While women made the decisions to try these 'beautifying' procedures, it is apparent that these decisions were made in, and greatly influenced by the culture and period in which it took place.

While we ultimately decide what we do, we can not deny that cultural norms and expectations are incredibly influential in determining our desires (even if we are not aware of it.) That is all I meant

[mondo joe]

24. Society "helps" determine what everyone does. We are social animals.

We're never going to not be influenced by society.

Society is comprised of men and women. And no one is immune from aesthetics or personal taste.

[blondeatlast]

31. Do you feel the same about tattoos and piercings?

I see little difference in any of the practices except for the degree of invasiveness of the procedures.

[Anais_98]

34. of course

Tattoos seems to be popular in our culture at the moment. Personally I prefer piercings, i have a nose piercing. However I will freely admit that my preference for piercings is probably due to the fact that I grew up in a society were piercings were common and I was exposed to them at a young age. If I had grown up in another culture, in which few people had piercings or tattoos, I may have come to think of them as strange or even disgusting. Just to highlight my argument

[blondeatlast]

37. I've seen what I think are hypocritical posts where those who undergo cosmetic procedures are held

in disdain and yet tattoos and piercings are "okay" with the same people. I suppose there may be a difference but I don't really see it that way. I'm pierced and dyed and would conceivably have cosmetic surgery (not a boob job, though) if I was able to have elective surgery (tendencies toward anemia prevents it) and I just don't see a difference.

Thanks.

[mondo joe]

43. That was the crux, more or less, of my enlightenment.

Some years ago a bunch of friends were all dissing Cher for all her cosmetic surgery - me included.

It then hit me that if we were talking about her having an abortion we would have treated the matter differently, and given her respect for deciding what to do with her own body.

That's when I realized it was very hypocritical to treat women's choices about their uterus differently than about other parts of their body.

[Katherine Brengle]

61. You don't see a significant difference between tiny holes in one's ears

and plastic bags of liquid being implanted into one's chest?

Frankly, I think piercing is an odd tradition. Tattoos are strange, but sometimes interesting to look at.

Invasive cosmetic SURGERY is a whole different animal. And the risks are considerably higher.

[Katherine Brengle]

36. I agree wholeheartedly.

There is no reason anyone would do anything like this if we accepted everyone as they are, particularly women.

[LostinVA]

53. Oh brother

[EFerrari]

38. Several women in the family have had different kinds of

cosmetic surgery. They're all feminists and trust me, they didn't do it for anyone else. In fact, imho, the calculation went the other way: do I deserve to spend this money on me and not on the needs of 10 other people?

[Anais_98]

70. I'll explain again

We can not naively claim that people get cosmetic surgery or tattoos only for themselves, simply because no one makes these decisions in isolation ie. without the influence or interference of society. We are all products of our society, to some extent, and continue to be whether we want to believe it or not. We are fish who swim in a tank surrounded by water (social expectations, norms, pressures). Our perception of reality is informed by the cultural setting in which we exist. This explains why particular behaviours are popular in some societies, and to some people, while being repulsive to others. My piercing analogy is relevant here- if I had grown up in a society where peircings were unpopular, rare, or considered disgusting, it is very likly that I would not like piercings. I would almost certainly not have made the decision to get a piercing recently.

While people may not get breast implants or any other cosmetic surgery specifically for another person, you can not deny that cultural influences have an immeasurable influence in the decision. People who don't recognise this are just kidding themselves. It's sociology 101.

And I do not hold disdain for cosmetic surgery. Its riskier, more invasive and more expensive than a tattoo- that's undeniable- but everyone can do what they want as long as it does harm another person.

[EFerrari]

71. Also somewhere in Sociology 101 is the fact that most behavior

is conditioned by culture. So, this argument is a little silly.

[WindRavenX]

15. Sloppy headlines make me mad. "Link" is not the same as "causation" of.

Oy.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. The Old "Ice Cream & Murder" Problem!

Sales of ice cream go up in big cities every summer.

Murder rates in big cities go up every summer.

They're linked! Therefore, eating ice cream causes people to murder!

The clear illustration of your point.

Oy, indeed!
GAC

[Javaman]

65. I know when I don't get my ice cream I feel like going on a murdering spree...nt

[LeftishBrit]

19. I doubt that it's the breast implants that directly cause the increased risk of suicide

More that people with emotional problems and low self-esteem are more likely to seek various forms of cosmetic surgery as a 'fix' for their problems. Of course it doesn't turn out to be a fix, as that isn't where their problems lie.

[pippin]

20. The Element of Fraudulence

I am constantly puzzled why women with implants are so proud of something that is clearly fake. Feeling good about or expecting admiration for something that is not you or yours seems to be equivalent to fraudulence, i.e. pretending to be someone you're not or have something that isn't really yours.

Looking at celebs who are inevitably the models for what is supposed to be beautiful today makes me wonder what isn't fake any more: boobs are implants, glorious tresses are extensions, trout lips are silicon injected, waxy smooth complexions botoxed, thin bods are lipo sucked etc., etc.

So while there appears to be an element of choice for the average woman--to have or not to have these surgical maneuvers--the look that is sought is dictated by a whole slew of commercial interests.

BTW For pros and cons:
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=553



For look at implants:

http://www.awfulplasticsurgery.com/archives/007326.html

http://www.viciousenterprises.com/summersblog/2005/06/bad-boob-jobs.html

[Vinca]

21. Maybe it was lack of sleep. If you're a stomach sleeper, how

could you get comfortable laying on top of foreign objects in your body. On another note, I'm puzzled about guys who go crazy over women such as Anna Nicole, Pamela Anderson, etc. Their frenzy is over plastic bags of goo! I can't imagine why anyone would want fake boobs except for reconstruction.

[Exiled in America]

30. That's an opinion I share, for sure. Fake isn't attractive to me, but that's just me.

[BlueIris]

25. K&R.

[Exiled in America]

26. 24 of 3,527 -- so let's slap a sensational headline on it and sell papers!

[blondeatlast]

33. A WHOPPING 0.00680464984% of fake booberies! Oh. My. God. STOP THE MADNESS!

:eyes:

[athena]

55. It's 0.68%, not 0.0068%.

In other words, a little less than 1%. Small, but not negligible, as you imply.

[Katherine Brengle]

35. My suspicion is that...

a lot of these women had serious inadequacy issues and various forms of depression PRIOR to getting the implants.

I don't care how many women claim to "do it for themselves" - the vast majority do it for acceptance, primarily acceptance by men.

[gollygee]

40. It is impossible to be perfect

and then, even if you get really really close through lots of hard work and even surgery, the complaint will be that you aren't natural enough.

So if physical perfection is your goal, you'll end up being depressed.

[LostinVA]

41. Correlation does not equal causation

[JVS]

42. What if they're the kind of implants that talk to you when you're asleep and tell you to do evil?

[LostinVA]

44. Hmmm.... kinda like "Rosemary's Baby's Breast Implants"?

[NashVegas]

48. I Think That Goes Without Saying

That said, my best friend in HS was suicidal by college, and she wanted them. Held out though.

[BlackVelvet04]

47. Maybe because they

became aware of what a hassle big boobs are when trying to lay in bed and read?

[LostinVA]

49. OMG

hahahahhahahahhaha

[BlackVelvet04]

52. Well, it really is a hassle.

:-)

[Eurobabe]

50. Silicone leaking fucks with the mind

just my take. OR, the boobs weren't the promised land. :shrug:

[WindRavenX]

56. or...the implants do not "cause" suicide at all.

What the study is actually saying is that breast implant recipients are more likely than non-recipients to have underlying mental health issues that put them at a higher risk for suicide and other issues than other segments of the population; not that boob jobs will *cause* some to become suicidal.

[Sapere aude]

62. After a certain time the boobs remain perky while the rest of the body sags around them.

I've been to many nudist clubs and have seen a lot of older women who had boob jobs. They look really weird because their faces have wrinkles, their hair is graying, their stomachs and butts sag but the boobs still stick out like ripe melons.


Maybe not being able to cope with the aging process fucks them up too.

[RebelOne]

60. I knew a few women who had implants many years ago

and they are all still alive and well.

[undeterred]

69. Plastic surgeons fuck with your mind.

I had my nose done- septorhinoplasty almost 20 years ago. There were medical reasons, so my insurance covered it completely along with two opinions. I wanted to get a better looking nose out of it, why not?

I got the first opinion from an ear, nose, and throat surgeon at a teaching hospital.

I got the second opinion from someone who was board certified in the above as well as in plastic surgery, and his office was in the suburbs. I did not ask about anything except my nose. However he told me what he could do for my whole face, including cheekbone implants and a chin implant- I guess those are the things it would take to make me look like a model. The cost of those operations would be out of pocket of course, but he took credit cards, and could do them at the same time as my nose. I left the office feeling dejected. I didn't walk in feeling bad about my cheekbones or my chin.

I had my surgery at the teaching hospital.

I would imagine that a woman who goes for a consult about breast augmentation probably gets a doctor who tries to help sell her other improvements. The beauty industry is pretty sick.

[frogcycle]

72. waiting for the report on butt implants n/t

[frogcycle]

73. waiting for the report on hammer toe correction n/t

[fujiyama]

74. No surprise really

If you're willing to go under the knife due to an insecurity in your physical appearance, you likely have lower self esteem and a sense of self worth in the first place. And if the suicide risks are showing up years down the road, it's possibly also due to the awkwardness and unnaturalness of the implants themselves.