Age no barrier as more women get breast implants

Karen Dudley has been conscious of her "disproportionate" bust size since she was in high school.

But it wasn't until last summer that the 36-year-old St. Petersburg mother of two decided to do something about it. It cost $6,000 and some minor pain and discomfort, but she went from a 32A to a 32C cup size with breast implants.

"I knew someday I would have [breast augmentation] done," said Dudley, who runs the Web site tampabaymomstown.com. "The top part of me wasn't proportionate to the rest of me. I feel I look normal now. They fit my body perfectly."

Almost two decades after silicone breast implants were banned because of health concerns, women such as Dudley have made breast augmentation surgery the No. 1 cosmetic procedure in the country, kicking liposuction out of the top spot it held for 11 years.

A record 311,960 women received breast implants last year, compared with 283,735 liposuctions, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Although many women are getting implants in their 20s, just as many are getting them in their 30s or 40s, waiting until after they have had their children, said Dr. Jeremy Benedetti of Benedetti Cosmetic Surgery in St. Petersburg.

"Part of the increase is the re-approval of silicone gel implants," said Benedetti, who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. "And I think a lot of women who have had children want to have what they had before they were pregnant, or some of them want to get back the volume they had while they were pregnant. [Breast augmentation] has really become more mainstream and acceptable."

The surgery involves using silicone or saline implants to increase breast size. Saline implants are made out of saltwater solution, and silicone implants, considered more aesthetically pleasing, are made of gelatinous silicone. The surgery is performed by inserting a breast implant behind breast tissue or above the breast muscle, Benedetti said.

The implants come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and can be placed in different positions through a variety of incision locations. Although you often hear about extreme augmentations, most patients, like Dudley, want a C cup.

Benedetti said most of his patients - about 90 percent - choose silicone implants because they're softer and feel more natural, "like gummy bears." Silicone implants also are less likely to leak or wrinkle, he said.

Despite the softer feel and durability of silicone implants, the saline implant is the better choice in some cases.

"If a patient has a moderate amount of breast tissue to start with, or the breast tissue hasn't fallen, then saline will provide a natural result," Benedetti said. "For gel, [the better candidate] is the patient who has very thin overlying tissues, small breasts that have fallen slightly."

Still, he added, "These are very broad generalizations because every patient is different, and there are many, many considerations."

Some of them are the patient's anatomy, her desires and her expectations, he said.

If you're getting augmentation to please someone else, the surgery isn't for you, according to the ASPS Web site, www.plasticsurgery.org. But the surgery will improve the balance of your figure and may enhance your self-image and self-confidence.

Other considerations include potential risks and the fact that the implants may someday have to be replaced. But the 10-year breast implant replacement rule is a myth.

Breast implants "are not lifelong devices," Benedetti said. "There is likelihood a revision will be necessary during a patient's life, but they're not like tires. You don't change out an implant unless there's a problem."

Benedetti says he spends a lot of time with prospective patients, asking them how happy they are with various aspects of their appearance and why they want to have breast surgery.

"The vast majority of them will say they are doing it for themselves," he said. "They just want to improve their appearance and look more proportionate. Patients don't want to look like a stripper or a porn star."

Dudley, who is 5-foot-10, wanted a better looking bust line. She nursed both of her sons, which caused her bust line to become "stretched."

"I had good birthing hips, and I was small on top," she said with a laugh. "I wanted to be full again."

But she said there was such a stigma at that time about augmentation surgery, she was reluctant to do anything.

It wasn't until a respected friend underwent the procedure that Dudley began looking into having her own surgery.

"I don't hide the fact that I had them done," she said. "I don't think [breast augmentation surgery] is anything to be embarrassed about. I feel a lot better about how I feel and look."

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656 or ccabrera@tampatrib.com.

What the neighbors are getting

The Top 5 cosmetic surgery procedures for women in 2009:

1. Breast augmentation, 311,960

2. Liposuction, 283,735

3. Blepharoplasty (cosmetic eyelid surgery), 149,940

4. Rhinoplasty, 138,260

5. Addominolplasty (tummy tuck), 127,920

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery