14 DAY TRIAL // Pamela Anderson imposed a standard in female breast size, firing the minds of many around the world.
After she and a countless number of starlets and singers passed trough this type of operation, it's clear that the trend is on an ascendant move; moreover, in the developed nations more and more women are having breast augmentation surgery.
But health psychology master student Veronica Hopner from the Center for Psychology of Massey University warns there is too little available information about the choices existent for shape and size of implants and the subsequent risks.
After examining 15 New Zealand websites offering breast augmentation surgery and previous researches, she noticed that the surgeons are almost exclusively men and that they seem to exclusively dictate the shape and size options to those females looking for breast implant operation. "The breast as a commodity is understood and reproduced as a cultural object of femininity. The notions of femininity reproduced in the websites were employed to limit possibilities of choice, for breast implant size, shape and position," said Hopner. "In New Zealand what women seeking information on the procedure are told, how much they are told and the shape and size of the breast they get after augmentation, is ultimately in the hands of male surgeons."
Hopner focused on how the sites present breast implant and the surgery, on what they really offer and how they advert the potential clients about the risks.
In 1998, roughly 3000 women in New Zealand had surgery, while in the US there is an estimated number of over 2 million women carrying the implants, more than 200,000 being operated in 2003. Estimations predict a rise of 12 % annually, and all western developed countries experience this trend even if risks and side effects of this operation are not adequately exposed in websites.
Researches made till now found no conclusive connection between breast implant and breast cancer or other severe diseases. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has presented 27 risks and complications associated with this, like infection, toxic shock syndrome, nipple insensibility, impaired breast feeding, wrinkling, asymmetry, scarring and chest wall deformity, and many of these further intervention.
But the most common and severe complication is the implant's rupture, whose risk rises to 69 %, 17 years after the operation. "Breast augmentation has enormous value and many women report that such surgery has significantly enriched their lives. However research indicates that women would rather know all the risks and complications in order to make informed choice about their bodies", said Hopner.
"The websites offer further information about the surgery but such information is limited to implant manufacturers or other cosmetic associations' websites. The websites of New Zealand cosmetic surgeons minimize the risks and complications associated with breast augmentation, giving little indication of the likelihood of further surgery," she added.