Studies have failed to make a connection between mental health and breast implants, but there surely is some warped psychology in that before and after. Good and bad evidence is lacking on this issue, which was banned in 1992 but re-introduced in 2006.
Now, ten years after reintroduction the issue of breast implants remains at a plateau. Just what are the effects of breast implants on mental health issues, either new or pre-existing? Cosmetic surgery has been a growing trend, with everything from breast implants to rhinoplasty to lip augmentation being given away as birthday presents and followed like a fashion trend. Celebrities like the Kardashians and other Hollywood stars help permeate this ‘trend’, but the community is very mum on the mental health issues that lie within it before and after.
Why do people get plastic surgery?
There’s a variety of reasons why people choose to get plastic surgery. Sometimes it’s tied to a medical condition and sometimes it is related to mental health. It is no secret that some people look to plastic surgery for a boost in self confidence and for internalized body positivity. The reason why studies have failed to establish connections between breast implants and mental health is because they have failed to follow up with patients.
So, in the first few years after their surgeries, patients probably make a bounce back on their mental health: they feel better about there bodies and therefore about themselves in general. If these studies were followed up thoroughly, it could be found that it could lead to narcissism or overcompensation. While patients shied away from their insecurities, they could now embrace them, but only because they were able to reverse these insecurities. Would that bring other mental health issues, perhaps even ones worse than the ones patients had before?
In 2014, breast enlargement was by far the cosmetic procedure performed most often in the United States. There were over 286,000 surgeries administered, and three quarters of those constituted gel silicone implants. These are usually chosen because they feel and look more like real breasts.
The New Series of Studies Need Further Research
Studies are still mostly inconclusive in regards to the post-effects of getting breast implants. When it concerns mental health issues, cosmetic surgery is usually seen as a way to treat it, but there in fact could be a lot more to it than is seen now.
