The topic is open: why you can't buy used breast implants
Unexpected offers have appeared on Russian retail sites - women sell used breast implants. The price is four times lower than for new ones, but also products with a history, as they say: even an option that has served for 6 years is on sale. Izvestia found out what women risk by buying other people's implants, why ladies get rid of artificial beauty and what men think about it.
Who is selling and why are they buying
It is difficult to say whether there is a demand for used implants, unless someone may be attracted by the price of intimate "spare parts". The cost of a new product starts from 80 thousand rubles for the simplest options. Prices for used ones start from 20 thousand rubles.
Clinical psychologist and body therapist Sergey Volkov believes that there is more than just a desire to make money behind the offers to sell breast implants.
— You need to understand that it's not as easy as it seems for a woman to part with an implant, — he argues. — For some, this may be equivalent to losing a body part, which silicone breasts actually have been for a while. And selling it means performing a social "ritual" of transferring it to another person, which means that the implants will be useful, albeit in a different capacity — it's psychologically much easier than throwing them in the trash.
The sale of products, according to the expert, gives a sense of the right decision, freedom, control, inspires a sense of confidence, blunts the grief of loss.
At the same time, aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon at the Scandinavian Health Center Kira Kopylova-Lehman, in an interview with Izvestia, warns that it is absolutely impossible to install used implants.
"And I would really ask women not to even consider this idea," the specialist urges. — An implant is a sterile product. After it has been removed from the tissues, it is considered contaminated because it has been in contact with the biological media of the body. It is no longer possible to restore sterility. Plus, when the implant shell is removed, it almost always gets micro-injuries that are not visible to the eye, and then they rupture.
The editorial interlocutor draws attention to the fact that the customer (if there is one) does not know the history of the implants, and she does not know the reasons why they were removed.
— Without a passport, serial number and warranty, it is, in fact, a cat in a poke. Is it possible to sew such an object into the body? The risks are direct: infection, suppuration, rejection, rupture, capsular contracture (thickening of tissues around the implant), the surgeon lists.
According to the expert, the quality of a medical device must be checked: the new one has a serial number and passport, certificates, and a manufacturer's warranty. Some implants even have a chip with information about the product inside. The package is opened sterically — right in the operating room, in front of the patient. Therefore, no sane surgeon, with a license and reputation, will undertake to sew biologically dangerous material into a living organism. This is a big risk to the patient's health, emphasizes Kira Kopylova-Lehman, adding that only "underground" would agree to this, because unscrupulous specialists work with implants from trusted manufacturers with international certificates.
Breasts corrected with the help of plastic surgeons are popularly called "silicone". But this material is not the only component of the implants.
"A modern implant is a silicone shell filled with a cohesive gel," says the plastic surgeon. Cohesive means "cohesive": the gel is thick, holds its shape and does not spread, even if the shell is cut. Saline implants, which were filled with saline, have almost disappeared from practice. The shell can be smooth or textured (with microrelief), and the shape is round or anatomical, teardrop—shaped, which repeats the natural silhouette of the breast.
The implant is not fixed once and for all: it is recommended to change it on average after 10-15 years, and in case of complications, sometimes even earlier. And this is also a reason to be wary: are they selling "spare parts" on the Internet, the service life of which has expired a long time ago?
Is it possible to get tired of a large size
Among the reasons for getting rid of the "ballast" is now most often called the desire to look more natural, without artificially inflated shapes. However, Kira Kopylova-Lehman notes that breast augmentation is still one of the most frequent operations, it's just that now the natural result is more important to people. But for the sake of beauty and comfort, women really began to do explantation more often — this is the term used to refer to the removal of implants.
— There is even an unofficial name — "fatigue syndrome from implants". For example, a woman had her breasts fixed 10-15 years ago, and now she wants to return to her more relaxed version," says the plastic surgeon. "Someone removes this "load" because of the severity or because it interferes with sports, and someone just "outgrew" this "story."
The expert emphasizes that it is not necessary to install or remove implants just because it is so fashionable. Decisions should be made as needed. Clinic patients are usually divided into two groups, depending on requests and indications.
— The first group is those who need help in the field of reconstructive mammoplasty. This includes breast reconstruction after mastectomy (removal of the breast, most often due to oncology), correction of congenital features - for example, a tubular breast (when the gland is underdeveloped and elongated) or pronounced asymmetry, when the glands are noticeably of different sizes, — the interlocutor of Izvestia lists.
Experts also include patients who need to return the volume of the mammary glands that left after pregnancy, long-term feeding or sudden weight loss.
— The second group is those who need help in the field of aesthetic mammoplasty when a woman wants a different size or shape, — Kira Kopylova-Lehman continues. — As a rule, these are healthy patients. And this is a normal request, if it is conscious.
She highlights the cases in which operations are justified.:
— if there is a real anatomical reason or a sustained, non-momentary desire of the woman herself, and not her partner or friend.;
— there are no health contraindications — for this, a full-fledged examination is done before the operation.;
— adequate expectations. The implant changes the breast, but it will not solve problems in relationships or with self-esteem. If a woman comes "emotionally", a real professional suggests taking your time.
Why men choose simpler women
Kira Kopylova-Lehman emphasizes that trends have changed a lot in recent years. Previously, women often asked for a large size, but now they choose the appropriate size for their body. Today, the most popular request is to add one or two sizes, but carefully so that the breasts look natural and fit the figure. Conventionally, this is the second or third number, without huge volumes.
— Very large implants are rarely asked for now, and to be honest, I often discourage such changes: a heavy implant stretches the tissues over time, and the breast sinks faster. They ask that everything look beautiful, natural and comfortable," says the plastic surgeon.
According to her, breast lift (mastopexy) is growing in popularity, sometimes with a small volume of the implant, sometimes without it at all. Lipofilling is also gaining momentum, when the breast is enlarged with its own fat, without a foreign body inside.
— Indeed, now is the moment when the trend for natural makeup and freedom in body shapes is in fashion, — says Sergey Volkov. — This is the result of the positive influence of the idea of a body positive on public opinion.
The men interviewed by the Izvestia correspondent, but who wished to remain anonymous, said that they always determine by eye whether a woman's breasts are "her own" or artificial. Some argue that after surgery, in any case, the geometry of the shape is disrupted. Others complain that "silicone breasts look and feel unnaturally dense." However, everyone unanimously considers surgery to be the right solution for women who need it for medical reasons or due to lack of proper volume, as well as in the case when the form is hopelessly lost due to age.
The clinical psychologist believes that Izvestia's interlocutors are still lying a lot, because modern technologies are such that even a surgeon with extensive experience cannot distinguish an artificial bust from a natural one. And let men claim that they categorically do not like "silicone" breasts, but "tuned" beauties are still in demand because they look statuesque and impressive.
— Men really care what the woman next to them looks like. If we put aside the massive male neurosis about who will pay for a woman's cosmetology services, then a man's status is determined, among other things, by her appearance," explains Sergey Volkov.
The body therapist complains that in the modern world, the "struggle" between men and women involves so many demands and requests that men reject not only breast correction, but also other expenses "for hairpins."
— Men "don't pull" financially such a relationship. And naturally they pay attention to "simpler" women, says the expert. — Fortunately for everyone, there is no longer a specific figure or symbol of beauty in society, as there used to be, for example, Marilyn Monroe or Princess Diana. Of course, this gives a lot of freedom of choice, but the representatives of the stronger sex were not ready for this freedom.
According to him, if you ask the average man what kind of woman he wants to see next to him, then everyone will answer that she is either beautiful or "well-groomed." But few people can explain what this means, because at the present stage in world culture in general and in ours, in particular, there is no classic image of a beautiful girl.
— On the one hand, the presence of such an image generates huge complexes and feelings among girls who do not meet the ideal, and most of them. But, on the other hand, it is now unclear what to rely on in the criteria of beauty. What is considered beautiful and what is ugly? — Sergey Volkov wonders.
According to the clinical psychologist, society's response to this situation is that now the social qualities of both women and men have come out on top: wealth, status, connections, having a good car, their own housing, education, etc.
— We can say that humanity has made a circle since the 19th century and returned to the starting point. At all times, except the last century, a partner was chosen based on status, dowry, and social opportunities. The main difference between the old world and us is that now people are free to choose and can abandon relationships or agree on their status and options in their own way," the editorial interlocutor summarizes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
