Search Here

An epidemic has been steadily growing in the U.S. and has  reached its peak: Body Image Disorder. Not officially of course, but the idea is that we must do whatever it takes to look like everyone else. Implicit among the need to diet, exercise and surgically "improve" our bodies is the belief that you, as you are, is simply not good enough.

Plastic Surgery is a popular trend in the United States. Breast augmentation surgery in particular is the second most popular surgical cosmetic procedure next to liposuction, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Even girls as young as 7-years-old go under the knife, pandering to the images of beauty fed to them and their peers through the media.

Cosmetic surgery can be danerous. According to Forbes, it can lead to Hematomas, infections, necrosis, or even death.

Discovery Health reported that even after a 14-year ban of silicone implants in the U.S. because of potential health risks, it is back by popular demand and has since grown to be more frequently produced than plastic--But hey, anything to be, feel and look like Kim Kardashian right? (because she has SO much going for her).

If that is not enough, studies have also shown that among the risks posed by breast implants are raised rates of suicides among women. A study published in the Annals of Plastic surgery revealed that "increased risk of suicide was not apparent until 10 years after implantation."

The August 2007 study looked at 3,527 Swedish women who had breast enhancement procedures between 1965 and 1993 considering only women who got implants for purely cosmetic. Tracked for at least a decade, the study found that of these 3,527 women, 24 committed suicide, representing a suicide rate three times higher than among the general population.

Ten to 19 years after surgery, the suicide rate became 4.5 times that of women in the general population. Twenty years or more after surgery, it was six times. The suicide rate was also higher for women 45 years or older, and on average the suicides occurred 19 years after surgery.

Five other studies confirmed that women with breast implants were two to three times more likely to commit suicide. Furthermore, researchers found that women with breast implants more often had problems with alcohol and drugs and were more likely to be divorced, all of which are risk factors for suicide.

Researchers believe that the link between suicides and plastic surgery is a combination of medication received post-op and the fact that up to 15 percent of patients who undergo plastic surgery suffer from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which causes people to obsess over small or even nonexistent imperfections, Los Angeles Times reports.

Many clinics are beginning to implement psychiatric and physical screenings for patients who want to undergo the surgery to ensure that they are both mentally and physically fit enough to do so.