Thursday, August 9, 2007

Is Hollywood Suicide Rate Explained by Increased Risk of Suicide in Patients with Breast Implants?


Recent studies suggest that women with cosmetic breast implants are nearly three times as likely to commit suicide as other women according to a story published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery. This confirms previous studies linking the cosmetic surgery to higher suicide risks.

Loren Lipworth (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) studied 3,527 Swedish cosmetically enhanced women between 1965 and 1993. 24 of the women had committed suicide after an average of 19 years (triple the risk compared to the average population.) At least 38 deaths (22% of all deaths) were associated with alcohol abuse, drug abuse, suicide or psychological disorders.

Lipworth theorizes that some cosmetically enhanced women may have had psychiatric problems before the surgery such as lower self-esteem or body image disorders. Cosmetically enhanced women also had a tripled risk of death from alcohol and drug use.

The good news for Hollywood is that there was no increased risk of death from cancer. Women with breast enhancement may be more likely to die from smoking related diseases only because this group of women have a higher percentage of smokers.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the sale of silicone breast implants after a 14 year ban on the product. The FDA found no convincing evidence that breast implants were associated with cancer or other disease. Women tend to prefer the silicone implants to the saline ones used during the past fourteen years. Nearly 400,000 women had breast augmentation in the U.S last year according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Breast implant surgery was second only to liposuction as far as cosmetic surgery.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

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Iron Mike said...

I take a break from training camp because there is a story on implants and then there are no photos? Legal Pub, what are you thinking?

Iron Mike

Anonymous said...

L.P.

I second Mike's thoughts. Where are the photos of some of the celebs that read this blog?

Ralph

Anonymous said...

As always, Mike confirms my hypothesis that all men are pigs.

The study was not just on Hollywood women, it was on Swedish women. Second, not every person in Hollywood has implants.

Third, just because someone gets implants does not mean they had problems before... for some it is just a tune up.

Shell

Anonymous said...

Shell, speak for yourself. Out here, breast implants are as common as whitening your teeth.


Your Secret L.A. Reader

Anonymous said...

Now liposuction can be really dangerous from a psychological standpoint. Some folks literally get their brains sucked out of their head...

Anonymous said...

Not sure what Cam said, but it sounds dirty.

Implants improve a girls self esteem. Nothing wrong with that.

Jill

Anonymous said...

Wow, finally a topic I can grasp. To try to get my hands around the issue, I took a walk down the beach.

Inquiring on the beach I found a mountain of attention is attracted to the issue. I was about to reach some brainiac conclusions when I was slapped back in to reality. Whether they are silicone or saline, it's strictly look but don't touch...

Surfer Dude

Anonymous said...

Surfer dude, you been out in the sun too long. Come hang out down on the Boulevard and I'll bet someone will let you feel the difference between silicone and saline... for scientific reasons only, of course.

Your Secret L.A. Reader

Anonymous said...

Speaking of "mountains," how goes the trap minor rescue?



Sally

Legal Pub said...

Sally, I will share what I know if you email me at

legalpub@legalpub.net

Anonymous said...

Ya know, Blond Bombshell, I always look forward to reading your take on matters….It’s enlightening. But I’ve got to speak up on one point…your ready willingness to call men “pigs” at any colorable opportunity.

People should be judged by their actions, attitudes, values, etc….not by their skin color, sexual orientation, religion, sex or other unalterable or protected qualities.

I’ve read many of your posts and they are…even when I don’t necessarily agree…indicative of some modicum of reasonable thinking and intellect at their worst and excellent analysis at their best.

I will continue to value your opinion and look forward to hearing your input…something has happened in your life to give you a unique perspective… and I value it.

But please don’t let that perspective color your judgment of people you simply don’t know.

L.S. (a man you don’t know)

Legal Pub said...

L.S. Blond Bombshell is a long time regular poster. Try not to take Shell's "pig" comment too literally. She knows men are different then swine and actually ranks the animals much higher...

By way of history, from what I gather, Shell is a beauty that has always had to fight the men off with a stick. In her "new career," she is very "pro legal enforcement," (I will leave it at that and she can add what she wants...)

I suspect that "pig" is an affectionate nick name that Shell has for all men and uses the word interchangably with the word "male." I further suspect it is intended "playfully."

Anonymous said...

Some look at the world through rose colored glasses. Perhaps Shell and I hear "squeals" when men talk?

Shell is just pulling the chain around the neck of swine in a playful fashion. When I pull, I tug!

Brenda

Anonymous said...

I suspect that is a reasonable explanation. But sexiest terms such as, “babe, sugar, sweetheart, etc.” probably are not well received by her… even though they are well intended and are, on their face, arguably flattering.

But in her defense, I often say “humans are stupid”…and I don’t’ say that in a kidding manner…I really do mean it!

I suppose, at the end of the day, all men are pigs…but no more really than “all humans are stupid”.

But that said, a little consideration of others can go a long way. I tend to keep my…at least I try…analysis narrow.

I don’t like racist remarks….I don’t really like it when people are subjected to religious discrimination…I guess what I’m saying is that I’d appreciate a criticism of my position as opposed to an insult of what God made me.

Heck, go after my experiences, my education, my positions, my support, etc. anything but who/what I am. That’s just polite and reasonable IMHO.

No real offense taken…I’m sure she is tongue-and-cheek…and smiling when she says it. It’s just there is so much antagonism between people sometimes because or their opposing viewpoints, I like to keep (I do try so hard) my discussions towards the issues (even when I digress towards God knows what subject) as opposed to the person.

She’s great…I do love reading her positions…I just tend to roll my eyes a bit every time she hits that note.

No Biggie.

L.S.

colleency said...

Anyone know if reconstructive surgery following mastectomy is still considered as cosmetic surgery? And, if so, were breast cancer survivors included in the study?

Viper said...

The study that I saw only dealt with cosmetic surgery not surgery post breast surgery. The good news was that there was no higher rate of disease associated with the use of breast implants. Furthermore, the higher rates of suicide was probably just incidental. The raw numbers were actually pretty low and I think it came as a shock to some of the legal community.

Anonymous said...

L.S.

No biggie. LOL. You are too much...