Breast Augmentation Should Not Be Done Overseas

There is no doubt that breast augmentation has become a completely accepted form of body improvement. Women are flocking to doctors in droves to go under the knife and improve their appearance. They are often going after their kids have grown, perhaps to revitalize their marriage, and they are going to feel better about their bodies. All of these are valid and good reasons to go see a plastic surgeon, but there is an alarming rising trend in which those who want to save money on the procedure are opting to go out of the country to have the work done.

When a person has breast augmentation outside of the United States, it is simply a matter of time before something goes wrong. The doctors in Mexico and Venezuela, and other countries that are appealing to American citizens to travel for surgery, do not have to follow the guidelines set forth by the government. While these countries have their own standards, they are often more lax than ours. This means that they may be using implants that are not approved for use in people, and there are increasingly large amounts of failures.

One such issue has affected nearly half-a-million women. These implants use a non-medical grade silicone that has been shown in many cases to cause serious complications. Occasionally there are cloudy portions in what should be a clear fluid. Additionally, machine oil and other industrial contaminants have been found in the implants that may be carcinogenic or affect the immune system. These issues alone are dangerous enough to preclude their use but this is only the beginning of the problem.

Breast augmentation with these unapproved implants has been shown to leak at a rate nearly quadruple that of approved materials. That means that not only are these dangerous chemicals making it into women's bodies but also that the silicone is entering their blood supply. Even approved silicone is dangerous when it enters the body, and it must be removed quickly. The addition of these contaminants means that this is a real health concern for those who have had the treatment with the unsafe materials. Many of these procedures, when using saline as the filler, have been shown to rupture and leak. While this is less dangerous, it still requires surgical removal and replacement because the benefits are eliminated and a person is left with a deflated chest.

The potential for saving money by going overseas for breast augmentation is more than negated by the high risk of failure and the danger to one's health that results as having this work done. Instead, spend a little extra time saving money and getting the work done by licensed and certified American doctors who will use materials that are shown to be safer and last a long time.