2008 Woodie Awards
New boobs for new grads
Implants as graduation gifts
by Joy Ugi
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Connections
What makes the best high school or college graduation presents?
For some people, getting a new car or a trip across the country is the perfect gift for pushing through four years of high school or college.
Some female graduates, however, wish for a gift that will always stay with them. Doctors call it breast augmentation, and it's on the rise as one of the top gifts wanted by graduating females.
Why is this trend on the rise? Type this question into any online forum or chat room, or mention it among your friends, and you'll get a plethora of ideas and opinions. Female graduates claim augmentation would boost their self-esteem; it would make them feel more attractive.
Breast augmentation may or may not raise self esteem in female graduates. There's no research for or against the argument. However, there is research about the health risks involved. They aren't as harmless as simply wanting to feel better about yourself.
According to medicinenet.com, one of the leading side effects of breast augmentation surgery is capsule contraction. This is when the tissue around the implant hardens and becomes painful. The implant has to be removed and then replaced. Between 30 and 35 percent of patients experience this issue. If it happens more than once, patients are prohibited from receiving implants.
Another major issue with breast augmentation is that it may interfere with future patient mammographies. The implants block certain areas of the breast, affecting clarity of the test results.
According to the American Cancer Society, one out of eight American women who live to be 85 years of age will develop breast cancer. The risk intensifies if the cancer can't be seen on a mammography due to breast implants.
Infection, though rare, is lethal. The implants have to be removed and patients must wait three months to undergo another surgery. In cases of bleeding, patient's suffer severe pain and bruising, as well as another surgery.
The risks of breast augmentation may not be worth the self-esteem boost for a female graduate. But neither may be the risks of driving a car or flying cross-country in an airplane. It all depends on whether the benefits outweigh the risks, something only an individual can decide.
For some people, getting a new car or a trip across the country is the perfect gift for pushing through four years of high school or college.
Some female graduates, however, wish for a gift that will always stay with them. Doctors call it breast augmentation, and it's on the rise as one of the top gifts wanted by graduating females.
Why is this trend on the rise? Type this question into any online forum or chat room, or mention it among your friends, and you'll get a plethora of ideas and opinions. Female graduates claim augmentation would boost their self-esteem; it would make them feel more attractive.
Breast augmentation may or may not raise self esteem in female graduates. There's no research for or against the argument. However, there is research about the health risks involved. They aren't as harmless as simply wanting to feel better about yourself.
According to medicinenet.com, one of the leading side effects of breast augmentation surgery is capsule contraction. This is when the tissue around the implant hardens and becomes painful. The implant has to be removed and then replaced. Between 30 and 35 percent of patients experience this issue. If it happens more than once, patients are prohibited from receiving implants.
Another major issue with breast augmentation is that it may interfere with future patient mammographies. The implants block certain areas of the breast, affecting clarity of the test results.
According to the American Cancer Society, one out of eight American women who live to be 85 years of age will develop breast cancer. The risk intensifies if the cancer can't be seen on a mammography due to breast implants.
Infection, though rare, is lethal. The implants have to be removed and patients must wait three months to undergo another surgery. In cases of bleeding, patient's suffer severe pain and bruising, as well as another surgery.
The risks of breast augmentation may not be worth the self-esteem boost for a female graduate. But neither may be the risks of driving a car or flying cross-country in an airplane. It all depends on whether the benefits outweigh the risks, something only an individual can decide.
Be the first to comment on this story