The survey found that women were not just willing to trade time for beauty but also suggested they would forfeit a promotion at work, part of their salary, time with loved ones and even their health.

These findings may be unsurprising given that the survey found 46% of the women had been subject to ridicule because of their looks and 93% claimed to have negative thoughts about their appearance in the previous week.

Nearly 40% of the women said they would elect cosmetic surgery, like liposuction to remove localized fat deposits. This, despite the fact that nearly 80% of the women were either underweight or within a “normal” weight range.

These statistics only stress the importance of choosing a cosmetic treatment, like breast augmentation or  a tummy tuck, for personal reasons, not due to outside influences.

In a country where 30,000 to 40,000 women undergo the procedure each year, Chávez blames doctors for convincing women they need a breast augmentation. The downsides of the surgeries, he says are the associated costs and the fact that “breast augmentation does not square well with his revolutionary priorities.”

Whatever the reason may be for the boom in breast surgeries across Venezuela, Chávez has received criticism for his views from both plastic surgeons and local media outlets.

Dr. Ramón Zapata Sirvent, a Venezuelan plastic surgeon argued that there shouldn’t be any type of discrimination against cosmetic treatment.

Opposition newspaper El Nacional claimed that Chávez’s view was “antiquated, militaristic, coarse, repressive” toward women who deserve to retain the right over what to do with their own bodies. Meanwhile, state newspaper Correo del Orinoco regarded plastic surgery as common (in Venezuela at least) as a dentist appointment.

However, new data released by researchers at the University of Iowa suggests that among Americans, medical tourism is actually less popular than previously supposed.

Brandon Alleman and his team of researchers at the University of Iowa surveyed 45 companies that facilitate medical tourism for U.S. patients and found that these companies have referred only about 13,500 U.S. residents to healthcare and cosmetic surgery facilities outside the country.

These companies represent about 70 percent of the market serving U.S. medical tourists, so if, say 23,000 American patients traveled abroad for medical treatments, that makes up only a tiny fraction of the number of patients treated in the U.S. each year.

This is good news to Owensboro cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gerald Edds, as he and many of his colleagues discourage American patients from traveling abroad for cosmetic procedures like liposuction, breast augmentation and even injectables for a number of reasons.

For instance, countries outside the U.S. where cosmetic surgery is less expensive often do not have adequate standards of care and official oversight designed to prevent avoidable complications and poor outcomes.

There is also concern over whether medical tourists actually receive treatment with the products or devices they think they are getting, and that they paid for. Many patients think they’re getting Botox, but end up getting cheap knock-offs of the real thing, along with poor results.

In addition, most surgeons agree that it is important to receive follow-up care from the physician who performed the procedure, which is not usually possible weeks or months after surgery, when patients have returned to their homes in the U.S.

In fact, the study results showed that 93 percent of companies brokering medical tourism packages expect follow-up care to be performed by U.S. physicians.

Given the fact that many physicians are uncomfortable providing follow-up care to patients on whom they did not perform the initial surgical procedure, it can be not only difficult to find a physician who will provide post-surgical follow-up care after traveling abroad for cosmetic surgery, but costly to hire a new physician as well, especially if complications arise and revision surgery is needed.

To avoid the potential risks and difficulties with follow-up care that can arise from medical tourism, it’s best to first choose an accessible, board-certified cosmetic surgeon who performs procedures in an AAAHC accredited U.S. surgical facility.

Let cost be your final consideration in choosing a surgeon, as paying slightly more for a great outcome the first time can end up being much less expensive than paying separately for follow-up care and multiple revision procedures down the road.

There are also a number of financing options available to Americans who do not have the cash in-hand needed to pay for cosmetic surgery, so there is little reason to travel abroad when some of the world’s best surgeons are in your own backyard.

While some say they merely want to look and feel better in the wake of the stress and emotional turmoil caused by divorce, others hope their enhanced appearance will help them find a new mate and even serve as a form of revenge against their former mate for discarding them.

Dr. Michael Cohen said one of his breast augmentation patients, a woman in her 20s who had recently discovered her husband had cheated on her, “suggested to the people preparing her for surgery that it was sort of payback.”

Divorce-inspired plastic surgery is becoming so popular that some physicians have even created “divorce packages,” according to the Washington Post article, which offer discounts to patients seeking cosmetic surgery after a breakup. One such plastic surgeon, Dr. Stephen Greenberg, says that of the patients taking advantage of the divorce package offered at his practice, about 70 percent are women.

Anne Soriano, a 49-year-old divorcee, said she was motivated to seek Restylane injections to put her best face forward upon re-entering the dating scene. She is also contemplating liposuction to enhance the shape of her mid-section.

Soriano’s attitude is a common one, according to Dr. Phil Haeck, who said many of his patients come in saying, “I’m going back on the market, and I’m afraid how I look right now isn’t going to work.”

“The first thing [people notice] is the look, unfortunately,” says Soriano, underscoring the reality that finding a potential mate after passing your physical prime can be difficult.

But Dr. Haeck is quick to point out that while having cosmetic surgery can boost the confidence of men and women looking to make romantic connections, choosing to undergo cosmetic surgery or other procedures during an emotionally unstable time, such as during or immediately after a divorce, can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment.

This is especially true for the small handful of patients who think cosmetic surgery will offer some sort of vengeance against those who rejected them, or immediately usher in their dream date.

“There’s a discussion that has to be had – do they expect to find Superman or Superwoman the next day after they change their appearance? Because that person may not suddenly drop into their lives just because they’ve had something done,” says Dr. Haeck.

However, Haeck agrees, as do patients like Soriano, that surgical and non-surgical cosmetic enhancement can produce subtle changes in appearance and self-esteem, which make it easier to attract and engage strangers and potentially make romantic connections.

The study used patient information from 100 consecutive breast augmentation cases performed in university settings at Kelowna (British Columbia), Loma Linda (California, USA) and Temple (Texas, USA).

According to results, the physicians who performed the study found that among breast augmentation patients in the three sampled geographic locations, most shared a similar age in their early to mid-30s. The youngest patients on average were in Loma Linda (32 years), followed closely by patients from Kelowna (33 years) and finally by patients from Temple (36 years).

Patients from each location were also apparently similar in height, although the exact findings were not published.

Among the differences discovered in the patients who participated in the study were variations in weight, body mass index (BMI) and implant volume.

Patients in Kelowna who had the lowest average BMI (20.8 kg/m²) had the greatest average implant volume (389 cc), whereas patients in Temple who had the greatest BMI on average (22.6 kg/m²) had the lowest average implant volume (335 cc). Patients in Loma Linda were in between, with an average BMI of 21.6 kg/m² and an average implant volume of 385 cc.

A positive linear correlation between BMI and implant volume was found in American breast augmentation patients, which could speculatively be because the greater a patient’s BMI, the greater their natural breast volume.

To review the study abstract, see The Canadian Journal of Plastic Surgery, Winter 2010, Volume 18, Issue 4: e 44-e 46.

He also acknowledged the complexity of combined breast lift and augmentation procedures and encouraged surgeons to let each patient’s unique goals, breast anatomy and degree of breast ptosis, or sagging, dictate surgical incision placement and procedure(s) used to enhance the breasts.

“For many reasons, simultaneous breast lift and augmentation is one of the most difficult of all cosmetic surgery procedures. First, no two breasts are the same, and each patient is seeking a different endpoint, sometimes with unrealistic expectations,” says Dr. Cuzalina

For Owensboro breast enhancement patients, Dr. Edds uses the Regnault classification system to determine which procedure(s) are needed to provide optimal breast enhancement results.

Patients with the most severe ptosis (grades III and IV), breast tissue is often ample and a breast lift alone is needed. However, some patients who have sagging, deflated breasts may opt for breast enlargement as well as a lift.

Incisions for patients with a greater degree of sagging are usually a lollipop pattern (around the nipple and vertically along the bottom of the breast) or an inverted-T pattern (lollipop incision plus incision along the inframammary crease).

In patients who have a lesser degree of ptosis (grade I and grade II), a breast lift is also recommended, and may be performed with or without implants depending on the amount of natural breast tissue present.

However, patients with less breast droop typically require less extensive incisions that are placed only around each nipple (periareolar) or in a lollipop pattern. Patients who choose silicone breast implants may require an incision in the inframammary crease or along the underarm.

Finally, in patients with “pseudoptosis,” where the nipple is above the inframammary crease on each breast, breast implants alone will often correct mild sagging by increasing breast projection.

In all cases where mastopexy (breast lift) is combined with breast augmentation, Dr. Cuzalina reminds doctors and patients that the procedures can be staged to ensure safety.

“While there is no dogmatic way to approach the simultaneous procedure, it is helpful to remember a few basic guidelines,” said Dr. Cuzalina. “Avoid the temptation to always do a periareolar mastopexy in order to use the shortest incision possible, understand that it is sometimes good to also remove tissue to maintain implant position long-term and while patients may resist the idea, keep in mind that a staged approach, performing mastopexy first and then augmentation three months later, is always an option with a tried-and-true safety record.”

Method

The study by Boston plastic surgeon Daniel Del Vecchio, MD, and Philadelphia plastic surgeon Louis Bucky, MD, was conducted over a two-year period with 25 participants who had breast augmentation with fat grafting. 

Before the procedure, the patients were photographed and had MRI and/or 3D breast imaging, followed by three weeks of expansion, such as wearing a suction bra every day. Patients were again photographed and had the other breast imaging tests six months post-op.

Results

The results showed that six months after surgery all 25 patients had visible breast volume increase, with a mean volume increase of 250 cc per breast. 

Conclusion

The authors concluded that this technique can be “performed in a time efficient manner with reproducible, long-lasting results.” They also wrote that external pre-expansion of the breasts is an important variable in the success of the procedure, as is patient selection.

Other Considerations

There have been concerns that there may be scarring and calcification with fat grafting for breast enhancement, which could compromise breast cancer detection. However, recent radiology literature suggests that new generations of mammography equipment, especially digital mammography, are better able to distinguish cancer cells from benign ones, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The study’s abstract, “Breast Augmentation with Autologous Fat Grafting – A Clinical Radiological Study,” is available online.

Sponsored by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the nation’s largest medical society of cosmetic surgeons, the 3 day workshop focused on procedures such as breast augmentation, breast lift, and breast reduction surgery. “Our breast course has earned excellent recognition and is one of the most popular breast courses in the Academy,” said Dr Mandell-Brown.

The doctors discussed the latest development in cosmetic breast surgery.  Through a combination of lectures, surgery, and anatomy labs, the visiting physicians can improve their skills.  “Its a great way to showcase Cincinnati to our visiting doctors” observed Therese Holden, Nursing director.  She added, “we really strive to make this an outstanding educational experience for the participants.”

1. Does the surgeon have an extensive background and training specific for breast augmentation, and does he/she possess the versatility required to offer you multiple options?

Because some skills overlap, you might find different surgeons doing the same procedure. You might find an ENT surgeon or an oral surgeon performing rhinoplasty. Breast augmentation however, is very specific to plastic and cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgeons perform breast augmentation as a primary part of their surgical residency, and should therefore have a greater aptitude to offer a variety of techniques to meet your needs.

2. Who administers anesthesia during the breast augmentation surgery?

Anesthesia is considered safe with a trained practitioner, but in the wrong hands it can pose a pretty serious risk. Whoever administers anesthesia for you should be well trained, prepared for unexpected problems, and focused on your safety.

3. Who will guide you through surgery and oversee your recovery?

Although your cosmetic surgeon should be accessible and responsible for you, it is very common for the supporting staff to oversee much of the operation and assist patients through the process. Doing this is vital to both the success of the surgery and to the overall experience. Read more about our talented staff in Owensboro.

4. Does your surgeon have privileges at a local hospital?

To perform breast augmentation at a hospital, the surgeon must prove or demonstrate a record of training for that field. If surgery isn’t done in a hospital, it will likely be in an outpatient surgical suite or surgery center.

5. Is the surgical facility accredited and safe?

To receive proper accreditation in a surgical facility specific standards must be met. Our Owensboro facility is the only office-based surgery center in the region specializing in cosmetic surgery that is fully accredited by the AAAHC.  Ask us why this is advantageous for our patients!

In some patients, the ability to breastfeed is disrupted by a past breast augmentation.  Usually, this is associated with the periareolar incision (around the lower half of the nipple).  To minimize your risk, a surgeon might recommend other incision sites such as the armpit, breast crease, or navel.

While breast Implant placement below the pectoralis muscle may also be recommended, even with subglandular placement, breast feeding is not necessarily compromised.

Regarding infant safety, research studies haven’t found any measurable risks.  In the late 90s, a study was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery showing that women with silicone breast implants carry no higher levels of silicone (silicon) in their breast milk than women without implants.  It isn’t known what effect would occur if a small amount of silicone were to pass through to the infant.

If you still have concerns, speak to Dr. Edds or your OB/GYN.  Whether you plan to become pregnant or not, it is best to understand all of the possible breast augmentation risks before proceeding with surgery.