High Rate of Suicide among Women with Breast Implants

4.07.2011 | By: T. B.

Women with breast implants are more likely to commit suicide.

There are several theories explaining the high rate of suicide among women with breast implants. (PhotoXpress)

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Initial joy usually fades soon

Breast implants are a stumbling block ever since women have started to use them on a massive scale. Many women undergo cosmetic surgery with the hope of changing their lives for the better. Unfortunately, studies show a different truth.

Here, attention is not paid to possible physical risks posed by breast implants. Instead, the focus is on the question of how breast implants affect a woman’s mental state. The psychological effect of an operation is very positive at the beginning. Women are overcome with joy because of their new breasts, but the joy fades in time. The fault mainly lies in women who decide on such an operation. Often these are women who want to solve their faults with the help of an operation. Many times they do not realize the real reason for their dissatisfaction.

Risks of suicide after surgery are higher every year

Loren Lipworth and her colleagues carried out a study at the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Tennessee. They studied 3572 women in Sweden that had breast implants inserted between 1965 and 1993.

They examined death certificates and determined the cause of death. Women with breast implants inserted after breast cancer operation were not included in the research.

Women with breast implants are 2 to 3 times more likely to commit suicide in comparison with women who do not have breast implants. Risks in the first ten years are lower and they increase with years. Therefore, the risks are higher if more time passes from the procedure. Twenty years after an operation the risks are six times higher. Women with breast implants are also more likely to die because of alcoholism or a drug overdose.

What are the causes of this high rate of suicide?

A woman feels joy and receives a lot of attention after the operation, but these both fade later. If small breasts were not an original source of frustrations, the woman realizes soon that her new breasts will not instil the wanted self-confidence and bring her happiness.

The high rate of suicide among women with breast implants shows that most women have much greater problems, that is, problems with self-image which extend beyond the size of a bra. It also shows that depression and low self-esteem cannot be cured with a scalpel.

Some people claim that the study has methodological deficiencies. Nevertheless, the high rate of suicide cannot be simply overlooked. There's another explanation. The high rate of suicide is caused by damaged implants and consequently a new operation which a lot of women cannot afford, or they do not want to go through with it again. Many women have constant pain as well as psychological consequences.

It is very important that you have a realistic view on life and are aware of what you can expect from new breasts. Although it looks like magic at first glance, a cosmetic surgery can have a disastrous effect on a woman.