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The Association of Breast Augmentation with Silicone Implants with Suicide

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Cosmetic Patient Selection and Psychosocial Background

Abstract

Breast augmentation was the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery in 2018. Despite the well-described benefits of breast implants in terms of postoperative satisfaction and improvement in quality of life, these have been commonly associated with malignancy and autoimmune systematic diseases. An increased risk for suicide among women with cosmetic breast implants has also been constantly reported in epidemiologic literature. Breast implants have been linked to connective tissue disorder development, but there is no evidence to justify that their systematic reaction may promote suicidal behavior. On the contrary, the predisposing personality characteristics of women seeking breast augmentation seem to be contributing factors for the higher incidence of suicide among these patients. An explanatory model of this epidemiologic finding may lead to better decision-making regarding women who will benefit the less from breast augmentation. Our algorithm may function as a useful clinical tool for plastic surgeon during preoperative consultation to minimize the long-term risk for suicide.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thessaloniki, Greece

    Panagiotis Milothridis

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  1. Panagiotis Milothridis
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Milothridis, P. (2020). The Association of Breast Augmentation with Silicone Implants with Suicide. In: Cosmetic Patient Selection and Psychosocial Background. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44725-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44725-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-44724-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-44725-0

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