Although the perception of women who undergo breast enlargement is often mixed, the recipients of the procedure often report a boost in self-esteem and experience positive feelings about their sexuality. Even though plastic surgery should not be seen as a panacea for feelings of low self-worth or sexual attractiveness, the psychological benefits of these procedures, including breast augmentation is, nevertheless, crucial to understand. It is now accepted that women's self-esteem and sexual satisfaction can often be directly attributed to breast size and/or augmentation. In addition to the increase in self-esteem, an increase in sexual desire, or the libido, does occur.
The best candidate for breast augmentation is a woman looking for an improvement — but not perfection — in her appearance. The issue of perfection is important as the outcome of the procedure may fall short of the ideal look the woman might have imagined. It is vital that women discuss their goals with the surgeon so that they can develop a realistic expectation of what's to come.
The controversial question that comes to everyone’s mind is whether breast implants cause diseases or illnesses, and not just problems in the chest area. Thousands of women have claimed that they have become ill from their implants. Complaints include systemic fungus, neurological and rheumatologic problems. As studies have followed women with implants for a longer period of time, more information has been made available to us and there is absolutely no evidence that breast implants of any sort cause systemic illnesses.
In addition, findings from research on whether implants lead to a delay in breast cancer diagnosis have been inconsistent and again no conclusive evidence exists in this area. As for breastfeeding, women with implants are able and encouraged to breastfeed. Implants may cause some difficulties in nursing in certain situations if functional tissue is affected, particularly if milk ducts or major nerves are cut, or if milk glands are otherwise damaged or pressured but in the majority of women this shouldn’t hinder nursing. A particular safety concern is whether the implant may leak into breast milk, and whether this causes health problems for the nursing infant. Saline is salt water, and silicone is used in colic drops, and considered digestible - both substances are chosen to be neutral and are widely present in the environment. So again, there is nothing to worry about during breastfeeding. A quick piece of advice to women considering implants and breastfeeding is to discuss this with their surgeon to allow them to make choices so as to minimise damage to functional breast tissue and to facilitate breastfeeding.
The pros and cons of breast augmentation are myriad and, ultimately, the decision lies with the woman in question. Our advice to you is to be sure you understand fully what surgery entails, set realistic expectations, and consider the possible risks and complications associated with breast implants. Good luck!
