breast implants

Almost 20 years ago, silicone-gel breast implants were taken off the market due to claims they caused autoimmune disorders. But in 2006, after these claims couldn't be backed up to solid evidence, silicone implants became available again.

And now that five years have passed, the FDA is saying that while silicone implants are still safe, they come with risks. Some of the most common are hardening around the implant, reoperation implant rupture, asymmetry, wrinkling, scarring, infection, and pain.

Because of this, the FDA notes that women need to understand silicone implants are not meant to be forever, as the chance of problems increases the longer the implants stay. In fact, one in five women who get silicone implants for breast augmentation purposes has to have them removed within 10 years. And for those who receive them for breast reconstruction, one in two needs them removed within 10 years.

"Despite frequent local complications and adverse outcomes, the benefits and risks of breast implants are sufficiently well understood for women to make well informed decisions about their use," the FDA said. Do you think that silicone implants should still be on the market?

Have you always wondered what you would look like with larger breasts? Then, search no further than iAugment, the free iPhone app that allows you to get a virtual breast augmentation in an instant.

All you have to do is upload a picture of yourself, highlight each breast, adjust the "circles" to your body, accordingly, and then pick your implant size, ranging 210 cc to 690 cc. While the app flips and slightly distorts your image, because it's free and slightly addictive (you can really get ridiculous with this one), it's worth a download — if not just for the laughs it will generate.

See how my augmentation turned out when you read more.

In scary cosmetic surgery news, Sheyla Hershey, a Texas woman who got implants to have M cup breasts, has had to have them removed after succumbing to staph and fungal infections.

In order to get her ginormous implants, she had to go to Brazil because doctors in the US aren't legally allowed to implant that much silicone — and with good reason. For months, Sheyla's had to have a special vacuum pump attached to her to siphon off fluid. She's also been on upward of three antibiotics at once because her body can't fight off bacteria. The entire ordeal sounds pretty scary and disturbing.

Does this story make you more wary of cosmetic surgery in general, or do you think that it was more a problem with the way Sheyla went about getting her mammoth mammaries?

While some politicians appeal for dollars in traditional ways, one Venezuelan candidate is going another route. National Assembly candidate Gustavo Rojas is trying to help fund his campaign by selling $6 raffle tickets for breast augmentation surgery.

Rojas compared it to raffling off a TV set or telephone, although that seems like a stretch. It's certainly a great way to raise your campaign's visibility, though, especially if your target voters are plastic-surgery-loving Venezuelan ladies. If something similar became a campaign stunt in the US, would you laugh, roll your eyes, fume, or what?

After undergoing 10 different plastic surgery procedures in one day, Heidi Montag, reality TV star of The Hills, became a new version of herself. Recently a guest on the radio program On Air with Ryan Seacrest, the host questioned her reasoning for all those surgeries saying, "But you had a good body," and Heidi quickly responded, "But now I have a great one." The list of procedures is long and includes: an eyebrow lift, nose job, chin reduction, her waist cinched on both sides, her ears pinned, tush augmentation, fat injections in her cheeks and lips, her back scooped, and yes — breast implants. After all that, I can understand why Heidi says, "I'm very weird about hugging people now — [my body] is very fragile." The reality star is noticeably bigger on top, now a size E or F cup (depending on the bra), and her enormous breast size means "jogging is also out."

I wonder if Heidi is upset that she can no longer run, or if she used to run for the sole goal of trying to lose pounds and inches so she could attain the look she was able to with surgery. Do you exercise to get "the perfect body," or would you exercise regularly even if you were happy with your appearance?

Breasts come in all shapes and sizes, but some women are just not happy with what nature gave them, or how experience (read: breast feeding ) and age have affected their chest. Some women opt for breast implants if they feel the need to augment their natural shape, but there's also a controversial procedure available for those who want to add just a little volume. It's kind of a two-for-one procedure that goes like this: body fat is removed from areas where it is plentiful, such as the booty or thighs, via liposuction and injected into breast tissue.

Concerns that re-planted fat could harden and calcify, making mammograms difficult to read, led to a couple of studies to investigate the issue. To learn what the studies found and how effective the injection technique is, read more