There is a lot of negative stereotyping of women who get breast enhancement surgery, with the impression that these women are superficial, or desperate for male attention.  However, most women who get breast augmentation do it for personal reasons that help them in their lives.  Women may do it to feel more confident in general, or because of body proportions and the fit of clothing, or even because of a medical disorder.

Breasts come in all kinds of different sizes and shapes, and some women’s breasts develop in such a way that leaves them feeling self-conscious or unhappy about them.  They might developed drooped and deflated, or they might be shaped or sized differently from one another, or any number of ways that make women feel unhappy with their bodies.  This is why many women choose breast augmentation or other kinds of breast shaping surgery to change the way they feel about their breasts and thus how they feel in general.  Many women talk about a boost in confidence that a breast surgery gave them.

Some women’s breasts grow differently from one another, with such extremes as one being an A cup and the other a DD.  Such disparities may be relatively rare, but they do happen, and sometimes this can be brought on by a medical condition or accident or trauma in childhood that affects the way the breasts develop.  There are various options available to even out the breasts, either through augmentation of one or a combination of augmentation and reduction to even them out.  Just as above, women report a boost in confidence and self-esteem, as well as a loss of shame about their body after the surgery.

Some women report having a very difficult time finding clothes that fit them just right.  Most women’s clothes are designed to fit a certain shape, and if you don’t match that shape, it might be very difficult to find clothes that fit just right.  For this reason, some women choose to have breast-altering surgery so that they don’t have to worry about fitting clothes, or don’t have to spend a lot of extra time or money altering their clothes to fit properly.

Another important reason women get breast surgery is because of breast cancer.  Breast cancer is a very serious disease that affects millions of women every year, and sometimes the treatment for it involves a mastectomy, or the removal of the breast tissue.  This can be a very traumatic experience, and some women request an augmentation surgery with implants in order to feel more like themselves afterward.

Breast augmentation surgeries are usually chosen by women for very personal reasons, and it can often be a life-changing decision.  If you’re a woman interested in discussing your options with an experienced plastic surgeon, be sure to search IPALC’s physician directory at www.ipalc.org/find, or contact our staff for assistance at infa@ipalc.org.