• According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 333,000 adolescents 18 years of age or younger underwent plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures in 2005.
1 Most were nonsurgical procedures such as chemical peels and laser hair removal, but breast augmentation was one of the most popular surgeries.
• Breast augmentation has become a frequently-requested high school graduation gift. How frequently is it requested, or given as a gift? Nobody really knows, since the research has not been done.
• Is it appropriate to perform cosmetic surgery on patients whose bodies are still maturing? Breast development can continue into the late teens and early twenties, so girls who think they need augmentation now might change their mind later.
• There are no epidemiological studies or clinical trials on the safety and long-term risks of breast implants and liposuction on patients under 18. So, the risks are unknown.
• Although the FDA approved breast implants only for women ages 18 and older, there are no legal restrictions on the procedure. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has an official position against breast augmentation for most teens under 18, but there is no enforcement. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has no official position regarding augmentation for teenagers.
• Research has shown that of all age groups, teenagers are
the most likely to be dissatisfied with their appearance -- and
that the dissatisfaction lessens with age. A long-term study conducted
on both boys and girls ages 11-18 found that body image satisfaction
was highest at age 18 for both boys and girls. In other words, older
teens feel better about their bodies than younger teens.
2 The study
also found that the features participants were most dissatisfied
with reflected the culturally determined stereotypes emphasized
in books, mass media and advertisements.
• Breast augmentation has a very high complication rate that often requires additional surgery within five to ten years.
3, 4 For a girl of 18, that means she will probably need another surgery while she is in her 20s, her 30s, and every decade after that.
• Based on the implant makers own studies, the FDA concluded
that about 40% of augmentation patients have at least one serious
complication within three years after getting their saline implants.
4
• Breast pain, breast hardness, and numbness in the nipple
area are common complications that may last for years, and may never
go away.
3
• According to research by the National Cancer Institute, breast
implant patients are twice as likely to die from brain cancer, three
times more likely to die from lung cancer, and four to five times
more likely to die from suicide compared to other plastic surgery
patients of the same age.
5
• Health insurance usually will not pay for the necessary treatment or corrective surgeries for problems that arise. Teens may not think about their future financial security, since their main concern is the immediate gratification of fixing a perceived problem with their bodies.
• Breast implants interfere with mammography, obscuring 55% of breast tumors, on average.
6
• Breast implant surgery sometimes causes infections leading
to toxic shock syndrome, amputation or death.
7
• Women who have breast implants are less likely to have enough
milk to be able to breastfeed, compared to women who have not had
breast surgery.
8
• If a teenager changes her mind and has her implants removed
a few years later, her breasts are likely to look stretched-out
and saggy.
9 This is especially true for women with larger implants.
References
1. American Society of Plastic
Surgeons 2005 Cosmetic Surgery Age Distribution, 18 or Younger,
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=17849
2. Rauste-von Wright, Maijaliisa.
Body Image Satisfaction in Adolescent Girls and Bodys: A Longitudinal
Study.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1989: Vol 18(1)
p. 78, 81.
3. http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/labeling/mentor_patient_labeling_5900.html#9
4. http://www.breastimplantinfo.org/augment/ibrief-aug042003.html
5. http://www.nci.nih.gov/newscenter/siliconefactsheet
6. Miglioretti DL, Rutter CM, Geller
BM, et al. "Effects of Breast Augmentation on the Accuracy of Mammography
and Cancer Characteristics,"
JAMA, 2004; 291: 442-50.
7. Poblete JV, Rodgers JA, Wolfort
FG. Toxic shock syndrome as a complication of breast prostheses.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 1995;96:1702-1708.
8. Institute of Medicine.
Safety
of Silicone Implants, 1999; Washington D.C.; National Academy
Press
9. http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/breast_implants_photos.html.
