Young Girls Want Breast Implants
Pop culture is driving
teen-age girls to want breast implants, but doctors warn there are potential
dangers that can accompany the surgical procedure.
Last year, 1,840 girls younger than 18 had
breast implants. That's up 47 percent from 1996 and up 89 percent from 1992,
according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Many
of the surgeries take place in California, Texas and Florida. And more teens are
having implants by physicians who are not part of a surgeons trade group,
meaning statistics may underestimate the trend.
Health experts say teen idols such as
Britney Spears are inspiring teen-age girls to want breast implants. But Sybil
Niden Goldrich, founder of Command Trust Network — an organization that
provides information on breast implants — says most girls and women lack
information about the medical consequences of the procedure. Implants can
interfere with breast-feeding, nipple sensitivity, and diagnosing breast cancer.
The implants also need to be replaced every five to 10 years, Goldrich says.
Last month, an Institute of Medicine
committee reported that silicone implants do not cause diseases such as lupus or
cancer, but it did warn of problems such as rupture and infection.
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