While breast implants and breast augmentation surgery is incredibly popular, there are certain women who are advised not to undergo breast augmentation surgery.
This article is all about who should NOT get breast implants.
Should you have any specific questions beyond what is covered here, it’s best to discuss your concerns with a board-certified plastic surgeon, and if you are extra concerned as to whether breast augmentation surgery is safe for you, you should likely consult with more than one board-certified plastic surgeon.
And in this case, you’re likely better off checking with a board-certified plastic surgeon at a large and well-established practice that will not be concerned with turning away potential business.
Breast augmentations can be costly (ranging anywhere from $9,000 – $15,000), and—if you are truly concerned with whether you should get breast implants—you’ll want to discuss your concerns with a surgeon for whom this amount of money is less important than your health.
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Women with an active infection anywhere in their body should not get breast implants
Patients experiencing or suffering from an active infection in their body should not get breast implants. Patient breast augmentation brochures (required by the FDA of manufacturers) typically don’t detail what is meant by active infection, but a doctor can help you determine if this applies to you.
There are obvious active infections that would make you a poor candidate for breast augmentation surgery, such as cancer, lupus, or diabetes, but there may be other conditions that fit this criteria as well.
Women with cancer or precancer of their breasts should not get breast implants
Breast implants are often used by women after recovering from cancer, which treatment has included a mastectomy. Women are increasingly choosing instead to go with an “aesthetic flat closure,” which can leave them with no visible breasts. But many are finding this is a great option—considering the potential problems and health conditions that can arise from breast implants.
Cancer and its recovery can be very trying and taxing on the body, and the last thing that many of these women want is another possible life-afflicting medical condition to deal with.
The actual statement in patient brochures reads as follows: “Silicone gel breast implants are contraindicated…” for “Women with existing cancer or pre-cancer of their breast who have not received adequate treatment for those conditions…”
Women who are pregnant or nursing should not get breast implants
Women who are currently pregnant or who are still nursing (breastfeeding) a young child or children should not get breast implants.
Breast augmentation is not only a major surgical procedure that requires a fairly lengthy recovery period, but the surgery and the implants can also negatively impact breastfeeding and nursing children.
Why women with these conditions should not get breast implants
Women experiencing any of the above health conditions (or who are pregnant or nursing) are advised not to get breast implants as adequate studies have not yet been done to determine whether breast implants are safe for them.
Other Conditions That Make Breast Implants a Poor Choice for Some Patients
In addition to the health conditions noted above, there are other conditions that make breast implants a poor choice for some patients. These are:
Women who are still in their teens should not get breast implants
Young women who aren’t yet 18 should not get breast implants. Not only are their bodies not yet fully matured, but their minds (studies show) are more impressionable than are the minds of adults. Breast augmentation is not only an intense surgery, but the results of it have to be lived with for many years to come. Celebrities, magazines, and movies can all influence a young adult into doing things that they may not otherwise do. Thus it is best to allow for a young adult to reach full maturity and mental development before undergoing breast augmentation surgery.
There are also age-limits to breast augmentation surgery and who can get what type of breast implants:
- Saline breast implants can only legally be placed in patients who are at least 18-years old or older.
- Silicone breast implants can only legally be placed in patients who are at least 22-years old or older.
These are merely the legal age limits involved in silicone vs saline breast implants; most patients get breast implants much later in life and these age limits should determine when a young adult gets breast implants.
A young woman’s body may also develop as she ages, into one where she feels more comfortable and confident without the need for cosmetic surgery.
Women who are not aware of the risks of breast implants should not get breast implants
Breast implants come with their own set of unique risks.
Cancer is one of them, though a rare occurrence relative to the total number of women who opt to get them. Systemic illnesses are another one, acknowledged by the U.S. FDA as being something that women with breast implants have reported. When they have their breast implants removed, these women report feeling better. Many surgeons who perform explant surgery for breast augmentation patients say they see recovery rates ranging from 80-95% for patients.
Breast augmentation surgery comes with its own set of risks.
Though popular, breast augmentation surgery is nevertheless full-blown, invasive surgery. For many women, it is the first major surgery of their lives. Yes, it may be performed in a setting much more comfortable than a hospital, and yes the staff may be friendly, accommodating, and accustomed to helping women who want implants to get them.
But, the surgery has its risks and you should be made well aware of them. You will be required to attest to the fact that you know what these risks are. You may even be required to sign that—since these risks are very real—your surgeon is not responsible in the event of a disastrous outcome.
Most patients will experience no long-term complications as a result of a well-done breast augmentation surgery.
Surgery should always be performed at a hospital, or at an accredited ambulatory facility that is equipped to immediately deal with anything that can go wrong during the procedure.
Not all facilities are properly accredited, and not all plastic surgeons hold hospital privileges. In fact, not all “plastic surgeons” are even surgeons—some are pediatricians, or dentists.
You should be very, very well aware of the minority of surgeons who, unfortunately, make plastic surgery less safe for patients than it should be. And you should probably avoid these practices at all costs.
Discount breast augmentation is a bad idea.
Women who are getting breast implants for anyone but themselves should not get breast implants
We live in a world where opinions matter and where what people think of us is typically considered important. We often make choices (even if subconsciously) based on what others will think of us. And that’s understandable: We want to look our best and feel supremely confident.
But, please let a single person influence you so much as to cause you to alter your body. If you are displeased with your own body, by all means, do as you wish to change it.
But an abusive relationship, or a partner who suggests or even demands that you get breast implants so that you fit his idea of what beauty or sexy is, is a very poor life partner.
If you ever do get breast implants, get them for yourself.
You have to live with yourself for the rest of your life and it’s best to do what you can to make that ride worth living.
Women who do not want further surgeries later in life should not get breast implants
Breast implants are not lifetime devices. They may or may not need to be exchanged or replaced every 10 years, but they will certainly not last a lifetime. The U.S. FDA says that the longer that women have breast implants in place, the more likely it becomes that they will need to have them removed, or replaced, or have additional surgeries.
If you were to get breast implants sometime between the ages of 20 and 39-years old—which is when 63% of patients typically get them—you can probably count on having at least one other breast surgery later in life.
For some, one surgery later in life may be sufficient (such as to remove or replace a ruptured implant, or to correct capsular contracture), while for others, two or even surgeries may be required.
Unfortunately, there really is no telling how long your implants will last, nor whether you will or won’t be affected by any adverse reactions as a result of your breast implants.
But if you don’t want to have to get another surgery later in life (or think you won’t be able to afford it), breast implants may not be for you.
