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Getting breast implants seems as commonplace as getting a manicure these days, but breast augmentation has a long and complicated history— one that’s still in progress. Here are 15 surprising facts about breast implants.
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Safety was not always guaranteed
Breast implants began to be sold in the 1960s, however the Food and Drug Administration did not require companies selling implants to prove their safety until 1991. By that point, over 1,000,000 women had undergone breast implant surgery, according to Ourbodiesourselves.org.
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They were once only for medical purposes
Between 1992 and 2006, the use of silicone implants was only allowed on women with cancer and those who needed to fix a broken implant, says Ourbodieourselves.org.
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The skin around the implant can die
This is called Necrosis, according to Fda.gov, and can be caused by “Infection, use of steroids in the surgical breast pocket, smoking, chemotherapy/radiation, and excessive heat or cold therapy.”
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The types
There are two types of implants: saline and silicone. Each has their pros and cons. Many women prefer saline because they can be filled more, or depleted, after surgery, so a patient can change the size. Silicon, however, tend to look and feel more real according to Webmd.com.
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Removal rate
According to KevinBrenndermd.com, over 23,000 implant removal surgeries were performed in 2013.
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Fifty percent of recipients experience complications
Yes, half — at least, says Ourbodiesourselves.org. And nearly 75 percent of breast cancer reconstruction patients experience complications.
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Teenagers are getting them
Abcactionnews.com reports that an increasing number of teenagers are undergoing breast augmentation surgery. In 2010, 8,525 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19 underwent the procedure.
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Age limits in silicone
The FDA recommends that women be at least 22 years of age to receive silicone implants for reasons other than deformities. Simplybreastimplants.com tells us some surgeons refuse to put silicone in patients under 22 years of age.
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Issues in patients under 22
Simplybreastimplants.com also tells us that in some cases when a surgeon does agree to put silicon in an “under-aged” patient, the warranty on the implants is waved.
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Implants and breast cancer
Stopcancerfund.org reported that women who develop breast cancer and have had breast augmentation could be more likely to die from it than those who had not had breast augmentation.
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A new kind of implant
Something called the Ideal Implant is still being created—it’s a saline implant that lets the salt water “Flow more evenly with movement,” says Huffingtonpost.com.
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We may be able to regrow breasts
Huffingtonpost.com also spoke of a new breast augmentation technology: stem cells. The hope is that in the future, a person who has had a mastectomy can simply have fat from another part of her body implanted into her chest, and a new breast will grow.
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The country with the most breast implants
The United States is number one when it comes to breast implant surgeries, according to TheChive.com. Brazil and Mexico are second and third.
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And the largest implants go to…
The largest implants on record in the world belong to a German model named Beshine. Her breasts weigh over twenty pounds each, according to Inquisitr.com.
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China’s biggest breast implants
The woman with the biggest implants in China, a woman named Li Ling, doesn’t have enormous implants compared to some others, but she is applying to the Guinness World Record for “World’s Hottest Bust” says Dailymail.co.uk.Dailymail.co.uk.
