Many male and female physique competitors - especially those at the professional level - are hardcore about eating and training for a specific look, often one that is extremely lean and muscular. .
While males tend to dominate the spotlight in bodybuilding subculture, there is a legion of females who put themselves at adverse risk with a not-so-subtle augmentation of their physique.
How, you ask?
They elect to get breast implants to “restore” their femininity. After all, it’s quite uncommon for a female to be less than 15% body fat and have a sizeable bosom. (Remember, female breasts are made up of mainly fat, connective tissue, and ligaments.)
In other words, they want their cake and to eat it too. Intuitively, breast implants are the remedy for being lean without losing size in the breast region.
However, I have an inkling the majority of female figure and bikini competitors don’t even consider the health risks of breast implants, especially silicone breast implants, before getting them - which is exactly what this article will detail.
Silicon is a metal and the second most abundant element on the planet, comprising nearly one-third of the Earth’s crust by mass. Silicon can be combined with oxygen to form siloxane polymers known as silicone, which have waxy/oily consistencies depending on the polymer chain length.
Examples of everyday silicone products include caulking and rubber materials. Silicone is not a naturally occurring substance, however.
Hence, breast implants made with silicone gel are technically synthetic devices; similar to implanting any other artificial object in the body (like a pacemaker), silicone gel implants and the surgery necessary for implanting them carry potential health complications.
Before diving into what some of the risks are, it’s important to note that not everyone who gets breast implants will face health complications. In fact, the majority of females who have silicone breast implants experience no related health issues.
It’s estimated that roughly 1 in every 10 females who gets silicone breast implants faces some sort of related health issue within the first 10 years of their procedure. After that, the risks tend to be less common.
With that in mind, here are the most prevalent complications of breast implants:
In some instances, silicone implants can rupture, causing oil to leak and become trapped in the capsule wall. Silicone is a water-repelling substance; thus, the body relies on the lymphatic system (or initiates an immune response) to transport silicone that has leaked into breast tissue. If you have breast implants and suspect a rupture, you should contact your doctor/surgeon immediately.
Capsular contracture is the most prevalent complication of silicone breast implants, often resulting in painful, tender breasts (and deformity). Clinicians suspect that capsular contracture arises from the body attempting to extrude silicone from the breast tissue (since the body detects it as a foreign substance).
Contemporary research suggests that breast implants may increase the risk of immune and rheumatic complications, especially scleroderma and lupus.
There is evidence that breast implants can disrupt a female’s ability to breastfeed. In fact, difficulty lactating is much more common in women who have breast implants than those who don’t.
Ultimately, if you’re a female figure or bikini competitor (or even a male competitor), you need to consider the bigger picture and ask yourself if the risks of what you’re doing fit the rewards.
If you’re a female competitor, it’s absolutely crucial that you realize your breast size is not what determines your aesthetic beauty as a female. In the event you compete in a bikini or figure show, you should approach it in as safe of a fashion as possible to bring your best look to the stage. That way, even if you don’t place well at any competitions, who the hell cares?! You’re fit, healthy and alive!
Hopefully you don’t misconstrue the message in this article to be that breast implants are always a bad thing (or that you will undoubtedly face health consequences from them). Surely, the majority of females who have breast implants have no health problems associated with their breasts.
Nevertheless, if you’re a female figure or bikini competitor, hopefully this article will make you at least consider the potential risks before you make the choice to implant.
