Breast implants -when?

[Azazel]

In this story (http://www.foxnews.com/health/010501/times_implants.sml), this confused young girl's family actually encouraged her to get implants AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN!! Well, at least the doctors seemed to pull together a few brain cells at the last minute and realize they had better not mess with a body which is still developing.
My question is this -at what age does anyone become old enough to pursue these acts of self-mutilation?

[Carina42]

I read that story too. I think it's disgusting of the parents to be giving this kind of message to their daughter.

As to the OP; I know that I have increased a cup size or three :D since I was sixteen, without any weight gain at all. (I'm 43 & weigh exactly the same as when I was 15/16, and I'm quite skinny.) It would seem that one ought to wait until the early twenties at least.

I knew a woman who gave her daughter a nose job for her 16th birthday. Mom didn't like the way the new nose turned out, and had it redone. Mind you, the daughter was extremely attractive, but Mom thought she should have a cute little button nose. I always thought that was a terrible thing to do.

[Snooooopy]

I don't think I'd want to attend THIS particular Sweet Sixteen party. Too much blood.

[Lissa]

The parents in the story in question are plastic surgeons themselves, so maybe they see it differently.

However, I believe that one should wait until the body has completely finished growing and developing until messing with it. What if the girl in the story develops massive, pendulous breasts and with the added padding of the implants, ends up looking like Chesty LaRue?

I saw an interview with the girl who claimed that the implants would give her confidence. What's sad about this is that her parents are too shallow to help the girl develop self-confidence in the way she is . . . somewhere along the line, she's been given the idea that she's inadequate, and her parents haven't done much to dissuade her of this notion. They'd rather surgically "fix" her "flaws" than help her develop a heathly respect for herself, and learn to accept herself for the way she is.

Now, if the girl had a massive facial deformity that caused her suffering, and the teasing of her peers, then possibly plastic surgery would be a mercy. People do judge you on your looks, and if she were truly deformed to the point where it made her life difficult then I could see permitting her to have surgery, but only after her body had finished growing.

[Rally Vincent]

*is yet again in awe of Lissa's beautiful writing*

I agree with what Lissa has written. I myself would be what the 1908 Sears Roebuck catalog referred to as the "the woman that nature forgot." However, one's confidence and self-esteem should not be tied up in one's bust size. I'm familiar with the reverse situation, where a young lady has large breasts at 15 or 16 and receives quite a bit of unwelcome attention.

[flodnak]

Another thing to consider is that pregnancy can do truly amazing things to a woman's bustline. This is most obvious with the first pregnancy, but it can happen in subsequent pregnancies as well. So to prevent unpleasant surprises, breast implants should not only wait until a woman is sure she's finished growing (mid-20s?), but until she's reasonably sure she doesn't want any more/any children.

If the plastic surgeon does anything to the nipples or areolas (the pinkish area around the nipple), that can also make it difficult or impossible for a woman to breastfeed - another darn good reason to wait until you've had your kids or are sure you don't want any.

[handy]

"Another thing to consider is that pregnancy can do truly amazing things to a woman's bustline"

Yes, but it has a side effect 9 months later.

As for when a girl should have implants, that would depend on when she wants them but she should let her natural boopbs grow in first.

[bibliophage]

Breast implants -when?

NEVER!

[whiterabbit]

I got a reduction, not implants, just after my 22nd birthday. Best damn present I ever got myself, I must say.

But I did see a plastic surgeon when I was around sixteen and was told that yes, I would probably be an excellent candidate, but I needed to give them a few years to finish growing. I did get a bit bigger, which disgusted me at the time.

As for breastfeeding, well, if I can't, that's too bad. But I'm not going to freak out about it; I don't even know if I'll have kids anyway. I will never never never for the life of me understand why some women want to be bigger. Smaller, yes. But BIGGER? Hell no!

[iampunha]

Originally posted by handy
Yes, but it has a side effect 9 months later.


Not always, handy. Sometimes the change is permanent. Sometimes breasts get smaller after pregnancy.

Why in the hell does she want implants, though? She already looks amazing . . .

But then, I prefer faces to much anything else (physical), so maybe I'm not the best of judges.

[oldscratch]

I'm thinking you misread handy's post punha. I read the side effect as a child popping out 9 months later. Of course, that's just me.

[iampunha]

posted by flodnak: "Another thing to consider is that pregnancy can do truly amazing things to a woman's bustline"

posted by handy: Yes, but it has a side effect 9 months later.

So we were, indeed, talking about breasts. Unless, of course, you know of a woman who got pregnant in one of her breasts . . . which could have catastrophic results for that breast:D

[oldscratch]

Sorry punha.. you're wrong..... again


Originally posted by iampunha
posted by flodnak: "Another thing to consider is that pregnancy can do truly amazing things to a woman's bustline"

posted by handy: Yes, but it has a side effect 9 months later.

So we were, indeed, talking about breasts. Unless, of course, you know of a woman who got pregnant in one of her breasts . . . which could have catastrophic results for that breast:D

Side effect=a secondary and usually adverse effect (as of a drug)

Now. Under no circumstances could the secondary effect be considered that the breasts shrink back down. A birth could be.

Using your logic you could say that a side effect of not taking prozac is depression. That's not a side effect, it's a direct effect.

So breasts reducing would not be considered a side effect under the terms discussed.

[handy]

Also, boys should be able to get penis implants & enlargement at 16 too.

[iampunha]

"Side effect=a secondary and usually adverse effect (as of a drug)"

Yeah . . . but where did anyone say something about side effects? For some women, a direct effect of being pregnant is that their breasts get larger. For some women, they stay somewhat larger after the pregnancy is over.

[oldscratch]

Originally posted by iampunha

Yeah . . . but where did anyone say something about side effects?

Do you read these things? handy did. And you quoted him

[GuanoLad]

I soooo wish large breast size wasn't the popular expectation of sexiness in a woman.

There is a huge percentage of people that find women who are smaller more attractive than those with a large bust. And indeed, there are many who are indifferent to breast size either way.

it disappoints me to see so many women feeling inadequate just because they are tiny up top. They're far from inadequate, they're just different to the popular norm.

[Caesar0211]

Personally I think the girl looks beautiful the way she is in those pictures. I dont know why she would want to do that. I dont think anoyone should get implants. honestly. Unfortunatly, i havnt found a girl who believes that yet. ohh lets hope they exsist somewhere.

[handy]

" I soooo wish large breast size wasn't the popular expectation of sexiness in a woman"

It really isn't.

However, lad, have you ever seen what happens to a woman's bare small breasts when she becomes pregnant? Not only are they much larger but they are really firm! Large milk cannons....But mostly firm, kinda like breasts with implants & they feel real nice in your hand.

But a woman who already has C or larger breasts doesn't get much benefit from the pregnancy induced larger breast size.

[Muffin]

Pushing a perfectly normal child toward cosmetic sugery is bad enough, but to then go to the press over it is just plain disgusting. If the parents were truly concerned about their daughter's sense of well being, they would not have held her up to the press as someone who immediately requires bigger boobs.

[TVeblen]

This is so sick. Other posters have already said it, and better than I could, but these parents conspired in brainwashing their own child to accept a narrow, banal "Barbie and Brittany" view of beauty. The girl's too young to know what her body will be like and how she'll feel about it.

Heck, the teen years are fraught with so many uncertainties anyway. Besides the obvious physical effects, what does this say to her about who she is--or could be? She wasn't given a chance to figure out her own definition of beauty and where it ranks in the scheme of things.

Feh. Sick, sick, sick.

Veb

[TheThill]

I agree. Sick at any age.

The world would be a much better place if people would not feel so alienated from themselves that they feel the need to implant foreign objects in themselves.

As far as subjective attractivity and other concerns of vanity, I find women most attractive when they are naturally themselves, absolutely regardless of breast size!

[iampunha]

handy, wanna get back in this?

[MsRobyn]

It's not always fun to be on the well-endowed side (DD-cup), either. From a practical perspective, it's often hard to find blouses and dresses that fit over my chest. I found a gorgeous dress that I can't wear because it won't fit over my chest. The rest of it fits fine. It's also harder to find bras, as well.

As for self-confidence, having large breasts doesn't really do anything, either. I meet many men who talk to my chest instead of my face. I get teased by my husband quite a bit, too.

I would suggest to any woman seeking breast-enhancement surgery to seriously consider these issues, and to find out if there's a way she can wear prostheses to get accustomed to living life with large breasts.

Robin

[Tzel]

Argh. This story, as well as the nose job story above, just makes me sick.