Last year nearly four million American women received some sort of cosmetic surgery procedure. About one fifth of these women were younger then 34 and over 335,000 were teenagers. Procedures like breast augmentation have increased nearly 600% in the past ten years(i). In the Extreme Makeover era, cosmetic surgery may seem to have no downside. But any surgery carries health risks and should be taken very seriously.

As an instructive example, many people believe breast implants are perfectly safe. However, in January of last year, the FDA refused to lift restrictions on the sale of silicone breast implants (which have never been approved by the FDA for augmentation), citing lack of safety data.

The FDA was concerned that breast implants fall apart in the body at unacceptably high rates, that the long-term health risks were still unknown, and that information on silicone’s effect on the body had yet to be studied. According to the FDA, and the manufacturers’ own data, nearly all implants fail, most women require corrective surgery within a few years, and many women suffer painful and debilitating complications. (ii)

A study conducted by the FDA found that most women who had silicone breast implants for 11 years or longer had at least one broken implant, even if they didn't know it. The study also found that one in five of those women had silicone leaking outside of the breast area, where it could travel to the lungs, brain or other organs. (iii)

Breast implants also interfere with the detection of breast cancer. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), mammograms missed 55% of breast cancers in women with breast implants, compared to 33% in women without implants. (iv)

Breast implants are more expensive than many women think. Most health insurance companies refuse to cover the costs of complications from breast implants, and research indicates that women with breast implants are more likely to be hospitalized and require greater medical care. (v) Many insurance companies, therefore, increase the cost of insurance for women with implants, or deny health insurance policies entirely. (vi)

A study unveiled at the American Chemical Society’s August meeting found high concentrations of platinum, a known potential toxin, not only in women with silicone breast implants, but also in the children they bore and breast-fed. (vii)

Platinum is used to increase the thickness of silicone gel. The platinum in implants is treated with nitric and hydrochloric acids and becomes very reactive. The heavy metal readily binds in the human body, especially to nerve endings, short-circuiting communication with the brain.

In addition to the health risks associated with breast implants, young women, in particular, should think about the following when considering cosmetic surgery:

• How will your procedure or product “stand the test of time?” If you have a device implanted in your body, or a substance injected into your face, be sure to research the lifetime of the product. Many products are “good” for only a few years, and will ultimately require re-operation or replacement.
  
• What sorts of complication rates are associated with your treatment? How high are those rates? Be sure to talk to women who were not pleased with their procedure as well as those who were.
  
• What is your doctor’s certification and training? Does the practitioner have a history of malpractice suits or frequent changes of state of residence?
  
• Will the service be conducted in a hospital or in-office? This is very important to know, because women who have in-office procedures have higher complication rates.
  
• Does health insurance cover additional surgery or other treatment if there are complications? How will having something implanted or injected into your body affect how insurance companies will cover you in the future?
  
• Breast augmentation surgery usually costs between $4,000 and $6,000. If a doctor is charging less than that, be cautious.
  
• If you receive breast implants, the cost of surgery is not a one-time only deal. You will need to spend more money to replace or remove your implants when they break or wear out. Even if the implant is under warrantee, or if your doctor offers services for free if problems arise, the anesthesia and other fees will still total thousands of dollars each time.
  
• Has the object being implanted or injected into you been approved by the FDA for this specific procedure? Oftentimes products are used in ways that they weren’t originally meant for, and had never been studied. When women started getting Botox, the FDA had only approved of it to treat migraines at the base of the neck, not for use as a facial injection. Using a product in a manner for which it has not been approved is called “off label” use; if you hear your doctor use this term, be cautious.
  
• If you get breast implants, will you be like a “guinea pig” in a clinical trial? What does that mean in terms of the safety of the procedure or device? Before receiving implants, ask your doctor what is required of you as a clinical trial participant and what government regulations are in place to protect you in the case of injury or illness.

As hundreds of thousands of women – particularly young women – choose cosmetic surgery, it’s essential that they make genuinely informed decisions to determine whether they can live with the results for the rest of their lives.