Lauren Parfidio

Impact Staff

It is no longer just Hollywood women anymore. Regular, average women are getting their breasts enlarged, and it has become accepted in this generation.

There are many reasons why women choose to have this surgery, such as breast change after giving child birth, weight loss, and most importantly, self esteem.

Self esteem is a main reason for breast augmentation because women want to feel great, and to feel great, some feel they have to look great. Studies have shown that breast implants help boost a woman’s self esteem, body image, and sexual satisfaction. By women getting breast implants they feel their body is better proportionated. They also feel more like women and can connect with their femininity more, which was mentioned in an article, “How Will Breast Implants Change Your Life?” by Jeanie Lerche Davis on WebMD.

Shopping is more fun for women when their breasts are larger because their clothes will fit better. Many women with small breasts have trouble fitting into bras and shirts.

“I have trouble finding bras and shirts that fit just right, which is why I went for a consultation recently,” said college student Kristin Paulus to the Impact.

Women who decide to get breast augmentation will feel more comfortable in a bathing suit during the summers. The summers are the most difficult time because they are exposed to warm weather when many women with large breasts are wearing tank tops and bathing suits. Seeing those women could make others feel insecure.

“I want to get them because I hate how I look in bathing suits and anything without a bra,” says Paulus.

Having larger breast seems may be the solution to some, but there are risks people need to consider before they decide to go with the surgery.

“I’m not really concerned about having it done. I know it will be a little painful and uncomfortable for a while after, but to me it’s worth it,” says Paulus.

With any type of surgery, not just cosmetic, something can go wrong. Usually, it does not go wrong, but women need to know there is a possibility.

“When I was in my twenties, I used to model and wanted larger breasts. I did research on my doctor and felt confident nothing would go wrong with the surgery,” says Westchester resident Leann Serao.

A few side effects that can occur while having a breast implant are infections, loss of sensation in the nipple and breast area, leaking of the implant, and rupture (no implants last forever) according to yourplasticsurgeryguide.com.

“I didn’t have any complications after my surgery. Just a painful healing,” says Serao.

There are two types of breast implants: saline and silicone. Saline implants have a silicone rubber shell that is inflated to the desired size with sterile saline. Silicone implants have a silicone rubber shell that is filled with a fixed amount of silicone gel.

During the last 20 years, saline implants dominated the market, primarily because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took the gel implants off the market due to safety questions. Recently, the FDA returned the gel implants to the market, and women in the U.S. are preferring them equally as saline, said renowned Plastic Surgeon James Green on his website JamesGreenMD.com

“I chose saline because I don’t trust silicone,” says Serao.

Breast augmentation cost varies based on the plastic surgeon, the type of breast implant you choose, the medical facility, what region of the country you live in, what type of surgery you choose, and what type of anesthesia is used.

The average total cost ranges from $4,000 to $10,000.

According to makeherup.com, 296,203 women had breast implants in 2010. That has risen 2 percent since last year and nearly 40 percent in the last decade.

Age has become an issue with breast implants, as some question if college students are too young for 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.

The FDA requires women to be 18 to receive saline implants and 21 to receive silicone.

Most doctors on forums claim a criterion for a patient should be that their breasts have not grown for years. Some doctors discuss that physical age is not the only factor. Many claim that they seek an “emotional age” from the patients as well, plus a desire to have the procedure for years as opposed to a quick decision.

Yet, with the rewards, there are also enhanced risks.

A 2009 Society of Plastic Surgeons report, along with FDA, stated that breast augmentation has a very high complication rate that often requires additional surgery within five to ten years. Plus, Breast implants interfere with mammography, obscuring 55 percent of breast tumors. Also, there is a higher chance that mothers with breast implants will not create enough milk to breast feed.