Radio Station Gives Two Breast Augmentation Vouchers

A radio station in Chicago has recently given two breast augmentation vouchers each worth $7,000 for the winners of its contest “Breast Year Ever.”

Classic rock radio station WLUP “The Loop” held a contest requiring listeners to submit written reasons why they want to undergo breast augmentation surgery, and a photograph of their natural breasts.

One of the winners, Carrie, has shared her stories of why she desires to undergo the cosmetic plastic surgery.  Three years ago, the bank teller gave her husband her kidney, and as a way to thank her wife, the husband said he wants to “give her breast augmentation in return.”

The second winner, Alishia, is a cancer survivor who at a young age received radiation therapy to save her life; however, the treatment inhibited her to have normal breast development.

According to the radio station’s website, Alishia became a nurse as her way to heal others who are dealing with the same medical issues she had experienced during her struggle with cancer.

This is not the first time a radio station offers breast surgery vouchers to listeners.  Just recently, Calgary station Amp Radio also raffled off breast augmentation which was won by a transgender woman.

Also, a casino in Atlantic city offered jackpots in the form of cosmetic procedures including liposuction, cheek implants, and Botox injection.  The contest dubbed as the “Tuck and Lift Sweepstakes” raffled off $25,000 worth of plastic surgery and non-invasive procedures.

Meanwhile, some board-certified plastic surgeons are not happy with the growing trend of using cosmetic surgery vouchers as a prize for contest as it may mislead people to believe the procedure does not involve serious ramifications.

Dr. Tarick Smaili, one of the leading Los Angeles plastics urgeons, said that plastic surgery is a “serious decision to make and involves lengthy consultation between a doctor and his patient.”

“I always require lengthy consultation and physical examination before I proceed with a certain procedure to determine a patient’s qualification not just in terms of physical health but also emotional and psychological health.  Of course, I also consider my patient’s expectations and goals—whether these are achievable or not,” Smaili said.

50 Years After Silicone Breast Implants Were Introduced

It was in the early 1960s when Thomas Cronin and his team have developed the world’s first silicone breast implants.  The idea started when they noticed that plastic bags used by the blood banks have the same softness of a breast.

When Cronin attended a plastic surgery meeting, one of his colleagues told him about a new company which had a new product that can be made into solid and liquid form, with a variety of viscosity.  Another great thing about the device was the extreme compatibility with the human tissue.

The medical-grade silicone can be turned into a solid form which will serve as the shell, while the cohesive silicone gel will act as the filling.  This material then paved way for the invention of silicone-filled breast implant, one of the most commonly used devices in cosmetic plastic surgery to date.

After creating the first prototype of silicone breast implant, the device was implanted into a dog.  The trial worked okay and so Cronin and his colleagues started to look for a woman who would be interested to have the first breast augmentation surgery through the new device.

The plastic surgeons found a willing test subject: Timmy Lindsey.  Now she is 80 years old and working in a care home in Texas.

At the time, no one would have ever imagined that breast augmentation surgery would become one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries worldwide.  In fact, a 2010 survey conducted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showed that 296,000 procedures were performed in the US.

It has been estimated that 5 to 10 million women worldwide had breast augmentation surgery for cosmetic reasons, although a significant number also had it to reconstruct their breasts after mastectomy (or cancer surgery), and for transsexual people to transition from male to female.

While breast augmentation is popular in the US and UK, this is not the case in some countries which have their own standard of beauty.  For example, the procedure is not as popular in Brazil because most people there prefer large buttocks rather than big breasts.

Today, most women who seek for cosmetic breast augmentation are categorized into two groups: those with small breasts who want to increase their bust size, and those mothers who have deflated-looking bosoms which are caused by childbirth.

In the US and most European countries, breast augmentation for cosmetic reasons can only be conducted for patients aged 18 years and older.

Bizarre Stories About Breast Implants

Just recently, a Florida woman made headlines after she was attacked by her ex-fiance’s new girlfriend.  While crime of passion is not uncommon, what makes the story bizarre is that she survived because her salinebreast implant prevented the pocket knife from piercing her heart and lungs.

If this story sounds weird, hold yourself from more bizarre news involving breast implants.

1.     Snake dies after biting a woman’s chest.

In 2011, a model from Israel was attempting a stupid act live on air: kiss a snake.  Unfortunately, the boa constrictor died after it bit her surgically-enhanced breast; reports showed the cause of death was silicone poisoning.

Surprisingly, the model did not suffer from any serious problem although she was rushed to the hospital right after the incident and was given an anti-tetanus shot.

2.     Politician raffles breast implants to raise funds for campaign.

In Venezuela, a politician raised money for his campaign by raffling off breast implants.  Gustavo Rojas defended his action and said that while people raffle televisions and other appliances, he decided to offer cosmetic surgery which he said was far more interesting.

“It is an interesting prize…I’m not showing disrespect to anyone,” Rojas said.  

3.     Woman survives gun attack because of her breast implants.

A Los Angeles woman was shot in the chest but survived when her breast implant stopped the bullet from reaching her heart.

When Lydia Carranza was brought to the hospital and underwent a CT scan, doctors were amazed to realize that the bullet fragments were millimeters away from reaching her heart and other vital organs.

Carranza was at her office when a co-worker’s husband fired at her and his wife.  The wife died during the shooting incident.

4.     Woman survives a car crash thanks to her breast implants.

A 24-year-old Bulgarian woman survived a head-on collision when her 40DD breast implants absorbed most of the impact, preventing fatal injuries on her ribcage, lungs, heart, and other vital organs.

While she survived the accident, her silicone breast implants did not.  A police officer said the devices worked like airbags—they absorbed the impact and protected the victim’s ribcage.

5.     Woman accused of faking breast cancer to get implants.

Trista Joy Lathern from Texas lied about having breast cancer to raise $10,000 which has been used to pay her breast augmentation surgery.  She even shaved her head to look like she was terminally ill.

When authorities found out her scam, she was charged with theft by deception.

Breast Implants Save Woman’s Life During an Attack

Yes, the headline sounds comical but it is true.  A woman in Florida has claimed that her saline breast implant saved her life after it prevented a pocket knife from piercing her lungs and heart.

Meanwhile, doctors believe that the victim’s breast implant really saved her life.  The woman, who did not want to be named, said she was stabbed by her ex-fiance’s new girlfriend several times using a pocket knife.

The suspect, Amy Winter, stabbed the 41-year-old victim several times in her left chest. 

Because the breast implant absorbed the deadly blow, it prevented the pocket knife from piercing the victim’s vital organs.  In fact, doctors said that without the synthetic device, she could have sustained fatal injuries such as collapsed lungs and heart failure.

The incident happened outside the victim’s apartment in Melbourne.  According to police report, Winter scratched her car and stabbed her repeatedly during confrontation.

The victim said the attack happened so fast that she found herself covered with blood—and also saline (or simply saltwater solution) from the ruptured breast implants, which she got three months ago.  For this reason, she said that her breastaugmentation, which cost $6,000, is probably the best investment she ever made.

Meanwhile, the breast implant manufacturer said it will provide warranty because the patient is a victim of a crime.

Dr. Tarick Smaili, a breast augmentation doctor who did not treat the victim, said that he heard a few cases of breast implants “inordinately saving a woman’s life.”

“A few years ago, I read a news about a woman in Los Angeles who was shot in the chest but the bullet fragments, as shown by the CT scan, were prevented by the implants from reaching the heart and other vital organs,” Smaili said.

“So this news about a woman with breast implants who survived after being stabbed in the chest no longer sounds incredulous or impossible to me.  I hear such stories from time to time so this one no longer surprises me,” the Los Angeles plastic surgeon said.

Can Breast Implants Lead to Stretch Marks?

As its name suggests, the primary aim of breast augmentation surgery is to increase the bust size using either saline or silicone implants.  In the US, only Allergan and Mentor are allowed by the Food and Drug Administration to sell these products to the market.

One of the most common concerns of patients considering breast augmentation is stretch mark, which happens when the skin tissue is stretched to its limit, resulting to purplish, reddish, or whitish stripes.  This often occurs after a significant weight gain/lose and pregnancy.

In some cases, breastimplants can cause stretch marks although a patient’s predisposition to have them depends on many factors including the implant size.  The rule of thumb is that the larger the device is, the higher the risk of developing the whitish or purplish stripes on the skin.

One effective way to lower the chance of having stretch marks after breast augmentation surgery is to use smaller implants.  Most plastic surgeons will likely agree that a 300 to 350 cubic centimeter (cc) range is a reasonable size.

By contrast, breast implants that come in 500cc size and above are often considered relatively large especially if these are going to be used on petite patients.

Aside from large breast implants, the age also seems to affect the likelihood of developing stretch marks.  According to some surveys, the problem is more common on younger women (those who are in their 20s and younger) than adult patients.

Plastic surgeons have also noticed that placing the implants on top of the muscle (subglandular technique) can increase the risk of stretch marks than positioning the devices below the muscle (submuscular technique).

Perhaps the reason why the subglandular implant placement increases the risk of stretch marks is that only the skin and tissue provide support to the weight of the device.  On the other hand, the submuscular technique offers more coverage and support to the implant, preventing the skin from stretching too much.

Also, most patients who developed stretch marks after breast augmentation have previously experienced the problem, although choosing a reasonable implant size and using the proper implant placement can reduce their risk.

By contrast, it is very unlikely for patients who have not experienced stretch marks to have the problem after breast augmentation surgery.

Fortunately, most patients who have developed stretch marks after breast augmentation reported that the purplish stripes turned white and became barely noticeable within three to four months. 

Breast Implants for Women with Active Lifestyle

Contrary to popular belief, female athletes and women who live an active lifestyle can have breast augmentation surgery.  However, certain factors must be considered to achieve the best result possible and minimize the risk of complications.

In general, athletic women—especially those who are thin—should use small implants or those from 300 to 350 cubic centimeters range.  By using the right size, their body will not be hindered from certain movements.

The problem with large breastimplants is that they interfere with the patients’ movement, which is a concern of athletes and women who lead an active lifestyle.  Also, these may result to the “heavy top” and unnatural look.

Another consideration to make is that active women often have less amount of fats in their breasts.  This simply means that they are more prone to visible and palpable rippling than women with thicker glandular tissues and fats.

To reduce the risk of wrinkling and rippling, thin athletic women are advised to choose small implants that can provide them a B to C cup bust size after their surgery.  Nonetheless, the exact size also depends on other factors including breast base measurements, chest width, waistline, and other pertinent anatomical features.

Aside from using smaller breast implants, another technique to minimize the risk of wrinkling is to place the devices under the pec muscle rather than in front of it.  In this way, not only the skin and tissue will cover the implant shell but also the muscle.

Another advantage of submuscular implant placement is that it can prevent or postpone ptosis (or sagging) because the muscle provides a strong support.  By contrast, the subglandular placement—a technique in which the device is positioned above the muscle—is believed to increase the risk of sagging and wrinkling particularly on women with limited glandular tissue and fat.

Despite the advantages of submuscular implant placement, one tradeoff is the longer recovery and more pain and discomfort.  But when everything heals, most patients will regain their normal muscle contraction, although in rare occasion some women will have distortion of the lower inner region of the breasts as the pec muscle is flexed.

Fortunately, the problem is relatively uncommon; in fact, some body-builders have submuscular breast implant placement. 

As mentioned earlier, most athletic women have little glandular fats.  For this reason, most plastic surgeons would likely recommend smooth round implants rather than textured tear drop implants which have a rough surface.

Smooth implants can lessen the risk of visible wrinkling especially if there is a little amount of breast tissue and fats to work with.  By contrast, textured implants are not recommended for thin patients because of the risk of rippling.

Celebrity Body-Builder to Downsize Her Breast Implants

In a recent interview, celebrity body-builder Jodie Marsh said she wants to downside her breast implants with a revision plastic surgery that is going to be performed this year.  Her decision to get another “boob job” came after dropping to a size 6 over the past couple of months.

The British tv personality, who has appeared topless on numerous tabloid newspapers, was quoted saying that her large implants seem out of proportion with her smaller body-frame.  In fact, she even admitted to “lifting her breasts” during body-building competitions because they hide the “first couple of rows of her abs.”

Meanwhile, Dr. TarickSmaili, a cosmetic surgeon who did not treat Marsh, said that he is seeing more patients wanting to downside their breasts in order to achieve a more natural look.

“In general, very large breast implants lead to the heavy top look which often looks unnatural, especially if you have a small frame and limited chest width.  Surprisingly, this was a trend during the previous years although I am now seeing that many patients are opting to replace their implants with smaller ones to look natural,” Smaili said.

Another concern with extremely large breast implants, Smaili said, is that the patients are at higher risk of rippling, which is more of a problem if they have a limited amount of breast tissue and fats to cover the implant shell.

Citing the body-builder’s recent photo, Smaili said that her upper and medial cleavage has some visible rippling, which the doctor explained is caused by implants that are too large for her body.

Marsh is not the only celebrity who is shifting to the natural look.  In fact, Denise Richards and Pamela Anderson have been reported to undergo a revision breast augmentation to downsize their implants.

Another good example is Kate Hudson who has been reported to have plastic surgery in 2010 to receive small breast implants that no one would even be able to tell she have them if not for her previous videos and photos.

Going back to Marsh, she previously said that she was concerned if she had the controversial PIP breast implants which have been pulled out in the UK market and other countries after findings suggest the devices have a very high failure rate.

However, she did not mention if her decision to replace her breast implants with smaller ones has also something to do with the controversial PIP devices.